The Mystery Texter
by Emma8745
Summary: Rachel Berry, a girl forced to wait hand and foot on her wicked step mother and step sisters, had one thing going for her. The undeniable attraction she had for a boy she met in one of the school's chatrooms. The problem was that they had no idea who they were taking to. Will they ever find their way together? Loosely based on A Cinderella Story.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's another fan fiction!**

**This one is kind of based off of "A Cinderella Story" and the beginning might seem to follow it closely, but don't worry, soon it will branch off into it's own thing. I just love all of the Cinderella Story movies and wanted to try one of my own!**

**So, even though it would be super cool if I did, sadly I don't own "Glee" or "A Cinderella Story"**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the story!**

* * *

She could see it now. The lights flickering on as she walked to center stage, the theatre in front of her dead silent as they waited for her to start. She had been practicing for this very moment for her entire life. Her dreams were finally coming true.

This is what Barbra Streisand felt like. Taking a deep breath before she started to sing her first solo on a Broadway stage. The deep breath not from nerves, but from the unbelievable circumstances of the moment.

All the teasing she received from high school no longer mattered. She was better than all of them. They were all busy wasting their lives away in the small town of Lima, Ohio, while she was living her dreams in New York City. She had dreamed of this moment her whole life, the day when all of her hard work finally paid off.

She opened her mouth, about to unleash the sound she had been holding in.

She could feel the sound climbing up her throat.

It was on the tip of her tongue.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Rachel slammed her hand on the snooze button of her alarm clock. The dream ended at that spot every time. _Every time._

* * *

_"Rachel!"_

Rachel groaned at her stepmother's voice.

_"Rachel!"_

Rachel walked into the living room to find Sue, her wicked stepmother. "Yes?" she asked, only imagining the request Suewould have for her.

"I'm going out tonight, and I might have a few guests over afterwards. I need this house to be spotless by the time I get back," Sue said, crossing her arms.

"Okay," Rachel said in annoyance.

"Especially your sisters' rooms. They seem to be in need for some attention," Sue added.

"Will do," Rachel said, turning around to leave. She walked out of the living room and headed to the supply closet to grab the proper cleaning utensils for cleaning the house.

Rachel decided to start on the kitchen first, because it was always the worst. Neither Sue, Quinn, nor Brittany knew how to clean a dish or clean any mess for that matter. Rachel got the mop out of the closet and started to clean the tiled floor, humming quietly to herself as she went along.

She didn't like to think about how she ended up in this position. During a family vacation, the car was terribly wrecked on the highway. She was at a very young age when it happened, and because she was so small, she was able to slip under the seat to avoid being crushed in the car pile-up. She was trapped in the car for what felt like forever, until a fireman found her and called the ambulance over. She barely remembers being rushed to the hospital. The man in the ambulance kept telling her that everything was going to be okay, and there was no need to worry. While in the hospital, the doctors performed all sorts of tests on her. She doesn't completely remember them, but she remembers hating them. In the children's hospital play room, all the other kids' parents always came over to play. She would spend hours in her room, staring at the door, waiting for someone to come and get her, but they never showed.

When she was released from the hospital, she was sent to a home for girls. She didn't get along well with any of the others, and opted to play by herself. Just when she was beginning to get very lonely, a man suddenly came along. He met Rachel, and Rachel liked him right away. He was very nice to her and treated her better than anyone ever had in the past. Soon, he adopted her and took her home.

Darrell was his name. He was just like a father to Rachel. Darrell had always wanted children, but never found the right woman to marry, so he went ahead and started a family anyways. Growing up, it was always Darrell and Rachel. He always told her that she was the only girl in his life. As far as Rachel was concerned, things couldn't have gotten any better.

She was wrong.

One summer, Darrell took Rachel to New York. They went to a huge theatre and watched a live performance of _Beauty and the Beast._ Rachel was so fascinated by all the singing and the dancing. She watched in awe as Bell sang and danced with the beast. Near the end she nudged Darrell and whispered in his ear, "Some day, that's going to be me."

As soon as they returned to Lima, Darrell signed her up from singing lessons, acting lessons, and dancing lessons. She immediately got a competitive edge, and won every competition Darrell signed her up for. She was unstoppable.

One night, during a celebratory dinner after a dance competition, something changed in Rachel's perfect little world. Darrell stood up from the table to head to the restrooms, but accidentally bumped into another woman. Their eyes locked immediately, and Rachel knew something had changed.

Darrell began spending all of his time with this Sue woman. He was constantly inviting Sue and her two terrible daughters over for dinner. Quinn and Brittany were constantly making fun of Rachel, and Darrel was always too busy with Sue to notice.

Rachel's world came crashing down even more when Darrell and Sue announced their engagement. Sue, Quinn, and Brittany started moving all of their belongings into the house, and taking everything away from Rachel. Everyone liked Quinn and Brittany more than Rachel, and she felt like she was completely ignored. At night, Darrell still always read her the nightly bedtime story, but it was never the same.

About a year after the wedding, Darrell got sick. Rachel was still too young to fully understand what was going on, but she knew that Darrell's condition was getting worse everyday. One day, he said that his legs hurt so bad that he couldn't stand up. Rachel didn't understand how someone's legs could hurt so bad that they couldn't stand up. She just wanted to sit on Darrell's lap and give him a hug, but she couldn't even do that.

Soon after that, Darrell had to go to the hospital. Rachel tried to visit him as often as possible, but the hospital made her feel like Darrell was going to leave her and never return. When she told Darrell about this, he promised her that he was going to have to leave for a long time soon, but he would see her again, someday.

Once Darrell was gone, Rachel was stuck with Sue, Quinn, and Brittany. They forced her to moved her bedroom into the attic, and gave her all of the household chores. All of Rachel's singing, dancing, and acting lessons were cancelled, and her Broadway dreams were shut and locked away along with Rachel's spirit.

* * *

"I can't believe she's making you clean the whole house," Kurt said from his position from the couch. "I thought we were having a Barbra movie night tonight!"

"You know, I might be able to get this done fast enough to have our movie night if you'd get up and help!" Rachel said, crossing her arms while still holding the feather duster.

Kurt groaned and stood up from the couch, grabbing the Windex and heading towards the windows. "I'm only doing this because you're my best friend."

"Thanks Kurt," Rachel said in a sing-song voice.

They cleaned in silence for a moment before Kurt spoke up. "Have you heard anymore from Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome?"

"We were up until 3 am texting last night, Kurt," Rachel gushed. "He told me that he likes to sing too. Just another thing we have in common."

"Are you ever going to take charge and meet this guy?" Kurt asked, wiping the back window clean. "You met him what? A month ago in that McKinley High chat room? Come on, Rachel. It's time."

"It's complicated," Rachel said, sighing.

"Yeah, 'my name's Rachel' sounds like rocket science."

"Kurt. I'm the biggest loser in school who spends her whole life cleaning up after her step sisters. If he finds out it's me then my life is over. He'll laugh right in my face and never want to talk to me again."

"You're overreacting," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"You're under reacting!"

"Aren't you just a bit curious to his identity? And what if he doesn't care about your family drama? You say how sweet he is in his texts? Do you really think he'd be that cold-hearted?"

"It doesn't matter Kurt. I'm not taking a chance at humiliation," Rachel insisted. "Now get back to cleaning. We're almost done."

Kurt sighed and turned back to the window. Something had to be done.

* * *

**I'll update soon! Review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I got a comment suggesting that I change the stepmother to Sue, and I didn't even think of Sue when I was writing the story, and I love the idea! :) So, no one be alarmed when they suddenly read something about Sue instead of Shelby :)**

**Oh, and ironic how Jane Lynch was in Another Cinderella Story! How perfect!**

**Anyways, here is chapter two!**

* * *

-Rachel POV-

The house was packed. I always hated Sue's parties. They ended up getting out of control at some point. And who was always stuck cleaning up the morning after?

Yes, it's me.

Her guests had no understanding of the word "respect." All of the whistles they threw at me as I walked past and rude comments were unnecessary. They threw their alcohol around like there was no tomorrow, staining the carpet I spent hours cleaning and breaking anything that came into their path of utter destruction. Are these people, or a new species of wild animals I've never heard of?

Sue had me on champagne duty this evening. I had to wear my apron and parade around the house serving champagne to men that refused to say a simple thank you. They downed their glasses within seconds and immediately demanded that I serve them another glass.

"Rachel!"

I heard Sue scream my name over the music from across the room.

"RACHEL!"

I rolled my eyes and made my way over to her, bumping into various guest on the way there causing some of the champagne to spill on me. I finally arrived to her location and set the platter down. "Yes, Sue?"

"What do you think you're doing? Wasting champagne and throwing it everywhere! I paid a lot of money for those bottles. That's coming out of your allowance."

"But Su-"

She held her hand up to my face. "You need to serve some to the others down stairs. I'm sure they're dying of thirst."

_Others downstairs? _"Sue, Quinn and Brittany's friends are downstairs. None of them are old enough to drink this."

"Old enough? Do I look like I care?" Sue asked, giving me a disgusted look. "Get out of here. You're stinking the place up."

I picked my platter up again and headed downstairs to where Quinn and Brittany's friends were. As I approached the staircase I could already hear their laughter and the sound of their own music playing. I slowly descended the staircase, hoping they wouldn't mind my presence.

"Oh, look what the cat dragged in," Quinn said, noticing me entering the room. She was leaning against the couch holding a red solo cup full of what seemed to alcohol. Noah Puckerman probably snuck it in; he's always the culprit.

"We don't have a cat," Brittany commented, making everyone in the room look at her.

Quinn rolled her eyes and turned back to me. "What do you want, man hands? You're burning my eyes."

"Can I interest anyone in some champagne? Sue insists that you all have a glass," I said to everyone, holing up the tray.

Santana stood up from the couch and walked over to me. "No, we're fine. You can have it." She then flung her hand up from underneath the tray, causing all the glasses of champagne to spill all over me, soaking me from head to toe. I dropped the tray to the ground and wiped the champagne from my eyes as the sound of laughter filled the room.

"You're welcome," Santana smirked and went back to the couch to sit down, high fiving Quinn as she did so.

Then, Sue flung open the door and came charging down the stairs. "What is going on down here? I can hear you all from upstairs." She stepped in the edge of the puddle of champagne. "What is this mess?"

"Rachel spilled the champagne all over the place," Quinn answered automatically.

"What?" Sue yelled, glaring at me as her eyes filled with flames.

"Yeah, mom, she came down here and started throwing it all over the place!" Brittany added, looking sweet and innocent next to Quinn.

"I will not put up with this kind of behavior in my house!" Sue screamed. She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, "You are to clean every ounce of this at once, and as soon as you are done you are grounded."

"Sue!" I exclaimed, shaking my head, "I didn't d-"

"NOW!" Sue screamed in rage. She stormed up the stairs and slammed the door behind her.

I turned to the others, watching as Quinn smirked and folded her arms across her chest.

"You heard her," Quinn said. "Get to it." Her smirk grew as I turned around to go and get the cleaning supplies. Once I reached the top of the staircase I barely heard Quinn utter the word "peasant."

**(A/N: Wow, I didn't mean for Quinn to turn out to be that evil, but I just kind of went with it! But, in what world has Quinn ever been semi-decent to Rachel? Anyways, back to the story…)**

* * *

The next morning, I sat at my computer in my bedroom, instant messaging Kurt. Sue's punishment from the night before was strictly no leaving the house for a week with the exception of school. To me, this seemed like nothing; for Kurt, this seemed like the end of the world.

_**Rachel, I'm never going to see my Baby Barbara again! –BroadwayWannabe24**_

I rolled my eyes. Who's this overdramatic?

**_You'll see me tomorrow. School, remember? -BabyBarabra133_**

**_But we had a shopping trip planned for Tuesday. What am I going to do? –BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Mercedes? –BabyBarabra113_**

**_Babysitting. –BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Tina? –BabyBarabra113_**

**_Working. –BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_You're impossible. –BabyBarabra113_**

I sat back in my chair and shook my head. Kurt was an interesting one, that's for sure. But, without him I would be completely alone. In reality, he's all I have. We met in the hallway when we were cornered for a daily slushy attack. We cleaned ourselves off together, and immediately became friends. We had almost everything in common, our friendship was meant to be. He shared his dream of being a Broadway star with me; I left my explanation of the past out. Thinking about Broadway brought back memories of my past, and my past was a place I didn't want to think about. I was _too_ happy back then. The now is how things are meant to be.

Kurt was utterly shocked when I told him Quinn and Brittany were my stepsisters. He felt nothing but sympathy for me. He too had been tormented by my stepsisters his whole life.

Like I said, we have a _lot _in common.

My laptop chimed, indicating a new message.

_**No, I'm fabulous -BroadwayWannabe24**_

**_You remind me of Sharpay from High School Musical –BabyBarabra113_**

**_Well, of course. She's fabulous too. I'm honored –BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_I'm sure you are. –BabyBarabra113_**

He took a little longer than usual to respond.

**_My dad needs the somputer. I'll see you tomorrow. -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Stay fabulous! –BabyBarabra113_**

**_Don't I always? –BroadwayWannabe24_**

He made a smile form on my face. Kurt truly was my best friend. He said we would be soul mates, if I only knew how to sing. What he didn't know was I actually could sing. It _was_ my favorite activity.

But like I said, it's time to move on.

My laptop chimed again, and I turned back to my computer, expecting to see one final come back from Kurt spread across the screen. However, it wasn't a message from Kurt displayed across the center of the monitor, but rather a message from _Titan142_, or as Kurt likes to call him: Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome.

_**Good morning -Titan142**_

I smiled. He did this frequently. He always sends me "good morning" or "goodnight" messages that make my heart melt every time.

**_Sleep well? -Titan142_**

**_Very well, you? –BabyBarabra133_**

**_Great –Titan142_**

This was the usual starter for our conversations. Asking about each other's days or nights, and then slipping into a regular conversation with ease.

**_Have you gotten any word back from NYU? –BabyBarabra133_**

He recently told me about a summer camp he applied to in New York for future musicians. He's always wanted to go to New York for his music, drumming specifically, and be able to learn from the best. He hadn't told his mother yet, because she had a fear of him leaving her to go to New York. New York was his dream, and he didn't know how to tell her that he was going to New York. I knew that he greatly adored his mother and he would stay in contact with her at all times, but he couldn't stand to break her heart.

_**No, not yet. But I checked online and it says that they have received my application –Titan142**_

**_That's great! I'm sure you'll get in! And I'm sure you're a fantastic drummer. –BabyBarabra133_**

**_You'll have to hear me play sometime –Titan142_**

There he goes again. He's always hinting about us meeting sometime.

**_Do you think we've ever met? In person, I mean -BabyBarabra133_**

**_I don't know. There are quite a few girls at McKinley High –Titan142_**

**_Yeah. And you'd think I would have noticed you. We've been at this for a while now. –BabyBarabra133_**

**_There is a masquerade ball at school coming up… -Titan142_**

**_And…? –BabyBarabra133_**

**_Meet me there. 11:00 in the middle of the dance floor. –Titan142_**

My eyes widened. He wasn't supposed to request that we meet! He'll know who I am. The worthless slave girl.

But it's a masquerade! He won't know who I am!

* * *

**Review! :) :) :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Enjoy chapter three! :)**

* * *

"So, you're going, right?" Kurt asked me Monday morning at school. He practically hovered over me at my locker until I answered his question.

I pushed his away from me and shut my locker, "Kurt, it's complicated."

"No, it's not. Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, boy feels same way, and happily ever after. See? It's as simple as that. Now what are you waiting for?"

"Kurt, you know what I mean," I said to him, wrapping my arms around myself self-consciously. "Everyone knows who I am, and what I do. Quinn and Brittany have made sure of it. Name one person in this school that would want to date me."

"Rachel, there are so many guys here that would be lucky to have you. And your Tall, Dark, and Handsome mystery boyfriend is in this school as we speak. He can't wait to meet you, and here you are trying to avoid meeting him. From what you tell me, you two are perfect for each other. I'm telling you Rachel, you need to go to this dance."

"I don't know Kurt. What if everything he said is a lie? Maybe it's Quinn or Brittany trying to play a prank on me or something? And when I go to the middle of the dance floor, a gallon of slushy will pile on my head."

"How would they even know your screen name?" Kurt asked, crossing his arms. He did that when he wasn't getting what he wanted. "You are going to that dance, even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming."

I thought about my options for a moment before looking back to Kurt, who had just begun tapping his foot impatiently. "Do you really think I should go?"

"YES!"

"Fine," I finally said. "I'll go." Kurt began to jump for joy and clapped his hands. "But you have to come with me. I can't do this alone."

"Of course my little Baby Barbara!" Kurt exclaimed. "Come on, we have to do some dress brainstorming!" He pulled me along down that hall towards the cafeteria so we could sit down and talk about my dress and mask options. Kurt was already invested in the conversation, giving me colors that would go along with my skin tone. Just as the two of us turned the corner that led into the cafeteria, a mountain of blue-raspberry slushy was tossed into our faces, and an eruption of laughter came in soon after.

I felt it drip all the down my legs and into my brand new ballet flats as I wiped the stinging corn syrup out of my eyes. When the burning sensation became tolerable, I looked to see my attackers. I wasn't surprised to see a few faces from the football team. Noah Puckerman, Mike Chang, David Karofsky, Azimio, and Finn Hudson all stood in front of us, pointing and laughing. Well, Finn wasn't laughing, he never was. He happened to be the only football player that never threw a slushy in my face. But he also never stood up against the dreaded attacks, which makes him just as bad as the others.

* * *

"McKinley High football players have to be the worst creatures to ever walk the planet," Kurt complained as he scrubbed his sweater. "I just bought this sweater yesterday, you know. And it wasn't cheap."

"Did you bring a spare change of clothes?" I asked him. I opened my book bag and began rummaging for my own spare change of clothing.

"Yep," Kurt replied, reaching into his book bag and pulled out a small bag full of clothes.

I dug through my book bag over and over again, but I couldn't find my extra clothes. "I think I left mine in my locker. I'll be right back. I have to go and get them." I exited the room and hurried towards my locker so I could avoid any other possible attacks. As I flew through the halls I wasn't paying attention to what was in front of me, and accidentally ran face first into another person. I bounced back and fell to the ground, making a loud thud noise.

I saw a hand reach down in front of me, offering to help me up from my spot on the ground. I reached up to grab the hand and allowed the kind stranger to help me up.

"Thank you," I said, looking up to see whom had been kind enough to help me up, and I froze when I found myself looking into the eyes of Finn Hudson.

He shrugged, and reached out to brush a few bits of ice off my shoulder. "I'm sorry those guys are such jerks. No one deserves that kind of treatment."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked, looking into his amber eyes.

"Because, despite what you might think, not all football players are out to destroy the lives of others," he said.

I opened my mouth to reply, but shut it when I heard the footsteps of a few other people coming our way. "I have to go and change." I sidestepped around him and began walking towards my locker to get my change of clothes, leaving Finn behind in the hallway.

* * *

I walked into the house after school that day and tried to sneak to the stairwell before Sue noticed me. I was already having a bad enough day as is, and I didn't need her around to ruin it further.

"Hey, Pariah, come here for a second."

_No such luck._

"Yes, Sue?" I asked as I crossed the room towards her. She was sitting in her usual suit, adjusting the zipper on her blue track suit.

"I've been invited to a party this weekend, and I need to bring food. I accept something presentable by Friday."

"Yes, Sue," I said. I actually didn't mind her request this time. I loved to cook, and this chore sounds like fun. Come to think of it, Sue, Quinn, and Brittany were the only ones to ever complain about my cooking. Everyone else raved about it. I turned on my heel and started towards the staircase. I headed up the stairs towards my attic bedroom and shut the door behind me. I noticed a pop up box on my computer monitor, notifying me of a new message. I couldn't help but hope that it was Titan142. He always helped me feel better when I was feeling down. I clicked on my Instant Messenger App and checked to see who had just messaged me. A smile appeared on my face when I saw the desired name across the screen. He messaged me to ask how my day at school was. I replied with "terrible." His reply came only a second later.

**_Why? -Titan142_**

**_I don't want to relive the details –BabyBarbara133_**

**_What about your day? –BabyBarbara133_**

**_The same. I can't ever remember a time when I could say that I had a good day at school. –Titan142_**

**_Same here. What's so wrong about your day? –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Having everyone expect something different from me is getting old. I don't really know who to be anymore. Nothing I do seems to please anyone. –Titan142_**

**_Is it your mom again? –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Yes and no. Mom just wants me to be happy, but I still haven't told her exactly what makes me happy. –Titan142_**

**_I'm sure if you just tell her he truth she will be insanely happy for you –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Maybe –Titan142_**

**_You said yes and no earlier. Who else has been upsetting you? –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Friends. They, too, expect me to be something I'm not. No matter what I do they find some flaw in it –Titan142_**

**_They don't seem like very good friends. Real friends appreciate you for you, not who they want you to be. –BabyBarbara133_**

**_I don't even know who I am anymore. I've strayed so far from the truth lately –Titan142_**

**_Just be you. When you are being yourself, everything else falls into place. –BabyBarbara133_**

**_How? –Titan142_**

**_What is your favorite activity in the whole world? –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Drumming. Or anything music related –Titan142_**

**_Why don't you start focusing solely on that? –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Do you really think that will work? What if no one likes my music? Or what if my friends leave me? –Titan142_**

**_Then you make new friends. And you'll still have me. I'll always support you. –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Thanks. It's not very often that someone actually makes me feel appreciated. –Titan142_**

**_I promise, everything is going to work itself out. –BabyBarbara133_**

**_Thank you for believing in me –Titan142_**

**_I'll see you at the dance this Saturday –Titan142_**

**_Middle of the dance floor –Titan142_**

I smiled at all of his messages and typed quickly on the keyboard in front of me.

**_I can't wait. –BabyBarbara133_**

* * *

**Sorry that chapter didn't have much going on. The next chapter will have a little bit more action, and chapter five (possibly six, but probably five) will be the dance :) :)**

**Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! It's been a crazy week! But, I am back with another chapter! :D Anyways, here is chapter four, I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

**_No one's POV_**

Quinn twirled her new diamond bracelet around her wrist as she listened to Brittany go on about the dance that was only a short week away. Brittany had been babbling on for nearly an hour about her many date options, and the endless offers she had received. Quinn too had received many offers for a date to the dance, but she turned them all down. She knew she would have countless men falling at her feet to take her to the dance, but she only had her eye on one guy. _Finn Hudson._ She tried sending him signs that she was interested, and she figured that he would pick up immediately, seeing as every guy in the school wanted to date her. However, he never saw any of the clues. Come to think of it, Finn was the only guy on the football team that hadn't asked her. She was a bit shocked she ad Finn hadn't found their way together sooner. She was the head cheerleader, and he was the quarterback of the football team. It was almost as if they were made for each other. She already was the prettiest and most popular girl in school, dating Finn Hudson would only strengthen her power.

"Which is why I am going to the dance without a date."

Quinn snapped out of her trance and looked at Brittany. "Huh?"

"I decided to just steal other people's dates this weekend. So, I'm not taking a date."

"Oh," Quinn stopped playing with her bracelet and allowed Finn to enter her mind again. She sat next to Brittany at the dining room table. They had just finished breakfast and had a little while longer before they had to leave for school.

"Who are you taking to the dance? Have you made your final decision yet?" Brittany asked Quinn,

"Finn's my date," Quinn responded simply.

"He asked you?" Brittany asked, not remembering Finn's name when she and Quinn had gone over their offers together the night before.

"No," Quinn said. "It's quite sweet really. We like each other, but he is waiting until Saturday so we can do the whole meet on the dance floor and fall into each others arms type thing."

Brittany thought for a moment. She never recalled Quinn ever mentioning anything about Finn Hudson. Since when were they a thing? She decided to drop it, and just smiled back at Quinn.

They heard a noise come from the doorway to the dining room, and Brittany noticed Quinn scowl as Rachel entered the room. Brittany never understood why Quinn hated Rachel so much. Sure, she was annoying, but Brittany didn't mind her too much.

"Rachel," Brittany got her stepsister's attention. "Do you have a date to the dance?"

Quinn let out an obnoxious laugh. "Oh please, she'd be lucky to win over that disgusting Jacob kid with the camera, but even he's too good for her."

Rachel rolled her eyes and placed her book bag on the counter to get her things for school ready.

"Are you going to the dance at all?" Brittany continued, ignoring Quinn.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, not exactly wanting to tell them about her plans for the dance. "I'm not sure yet."

"It's okay, Rachel," Brittany replied. "Quinn and I don't have dates either."

Rachel saw Quinn "accidentally" kick Brittany under the table. She was extremely surprised, Quinn didn't have a date? The absolutely perfect and flawless Quinn?

_No who's not good enough for Jacob?_

"I have a date to the dance," Quinn immediately said. "We just aren't arriving together. That's all."

"Yeah, she's going with Finn Hudson. The quarterback," Brittany clarified to Rachel.

"Ah," Rachel pretended to be interested in what the girls were telling her. On the inside she was laughing at how perfect the situation was. The ice queen and the leader of the school jerks. Quinn and Finn were so perfect for each other their names even rhymed.

"Okay. I can only take so much of Rachel Berry before I start to feel my breakfast coming up," Quinn commented, standing up from the table. "Let's go Brits."

Brittany stood up as well, "I'm right behind you."

Rachel watched as the two girls left the room and walked out the door towards the garage. Rachel could not wait for the day she could finally get out of the house.

* * *

"Why can't I just move in with you," Rachel asked Kurt. She had just spent the past half hour of their study hall complaining to him about Quinn and Brittany.

"Oh, I wish you could. I'm not quite sure how my dad would feel about that though," Kurt said. "So, you didn't say anything to them about your mystery man?"

"No, and I don't plan on it. Who knows what Quinn would do with that type of information," Rachel replied. "I have no idea why half the school insists on listening to her every word, but they do, and I can't even imagine all things she could do with that power."

"I'm not so sure about this so called 'power,'" Kurt responded. "Word on the street is that Quinn doesn't have a date to the dance. Could her reign as Queen finally be coming to an end?"

Rachel shook her head. "Don't get too excited. She doesn't have an 'official' date, but she has someone. Well, at least according to her and Brittany she does."

"Who has to put up with her this time?" Kurt asked.

"Finn Hudson," Rachel told him. "Poor guy, he doesn't even know what's coming his way."

"Why are all these guys so desperate to go with her anyways?" Kurt asked.

"Not a clue," Rachel answered.

* * *

That evening Rachel just finished serving the dinner she prepared for everyone and the four of them sat down to eat. It was a rare occasion when they all sat down to eat at the same time, but when they did Rachel always tried to make the best of it.

"I saw you and Finn talking at school today," Brittany started a conversation with Quinn.

"Yeah, we were talking about the dance, actually. I asked him if he was going, even though I already know the answer. Things are finally falling into place!" Quinn gushed.

"Finn?" Sue questioned. "What kind of name is that?"

"An adorable one," Quinn snapped, quickly regaining her composure. "He can also be known as my soon-to-be boyfriend. He's my date to the dance."

Sue sat still for a moment before responding, "Wow, that was an incredible waste of my attention." She shook off her annoyances. "Anyway, Saturday night while you two are at the dance I have a party to attend. I'm not s-"

"Saturday? You're busy Saturday," Brittany interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Sue asked, clearly angry with the interruption and the assumption from Brittany.

"Well, last week you were telling us that you needed to boost your reputation and start volunteering more, so I signed you up for a volunteer session at the homeless shelter this weekend," Brittany said proudly.

"Excuse me?" Sure repeated, her face growing red.

"I said, last week you were telling us that yo-" Brittany began only to be cut off by Quinn.

"Brittany, she planned on pretending to be volunteer work, not actually do it."

"You need to cancel," Sue said to Brittany. "Why would I ever spend my time with those useless homeless children. What do they have to offer me?"

"Sue, I can't cancel. They said it was a complete commitment. If you don't do it, then someone else will have to take your place."

"Oh, well, that's an easy fix," Sue said, turning to Rachel. "Rachel you're volunteering this weekend. How nice, you'll finally be of some use to this pathetic town."

That sentence caused Rachel to tune into the conversation she had been doing her best to ignore. "Saturday? No, Sue, I can't."

"Are you disobeying my orders?" Sue asked sternly.

"Sue, please. I always do everything you ask me too, and all I'm asking in return is for this one night off. Please?"

"Girls," Sue said, looking at Quinn and Brittany. "Could you excuse us for a moment?"

Quinn and Brittany nodded and make a quick exit from the dining room.

Sue cleared her throat then, giving Rachel her undivided attention. "Rachel, I know you do a lot for this family. You may do a terrible job most of the time, but you do a lot. Now, I like you Rachel, you're a good kid, but I think it's time for me to be honest with you. Darrell told me about your little Broadway dreams, and I always went along with it, but deep down I knew that you were never good enough. Rachel, let's face it. You'll never amount to anything. Quinn and Brittany have their looks going for them? What do you have? A few good grades and cleaning experience? Let's be realistic here, Rachel. So, I'm sorry, but no. I am not granting you permission to go out Saturday night so you can go and do nothing that will be pointless anyways."

Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt a salty tear slide down her cheek. Not good enough? Never amount to anything? Pointless? This was supposed to be the night that changed everything, and Sue was ruining it. Rachel pushed her chair back and ran out of the room towards her attic bedroom.

She _knew_ things were too good to be true.

* * *

**Poor Rachel! And oh, Quinn, just stop reading into things and making up false scenarios in your head, we all know who Finn really likes!**

**Keep up the reviewing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I love free time! It means I am able to write more! Remember when I was able to update everyday?**

**Yeah… I miss those days too.**

**I'm going to apologize in advance for the length of this chapter. It's more of a 'filler chapter' so it's a little on the short side. But, next chapter is the dance! I'm super excited to write that chapter!**

**Anyway, on with the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

**_Just ditch Sue and her stupid volunteer work and come to the dance anyways! She'll never know! -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_The homeless shelter workers will notice if no one shows up, and then they'll contact Sue, and then she'll kill me. I'm sorry Kurt, but this is just how things work with Sue. -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Have you even told you-know-who about the sudden cancellation? -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_What would I even say? And why would I? I don't even know the guy. Maybe he and I are better off apart. -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Okay, you know what Rachel? I am getting sick and tired of hearing you constantly put yourself down. You are 100% worthy of being loved and if you don't do something about this guy that is clearly in to you, then I will find him and do the work for you. -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Oh, and Rachel, whatever contradictory sentence you have coming my way, I don't want to hear it. Okay? -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Are you finished with your rant? -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Depends on your response. -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Kurt you don't understand, and you never will. When people find out who I am they immediately treat me the same way Quinn does. Like the peasant that I really am. -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Quinn is a cruel and heartless person, Rachel. This guy you've been talking to isn't. Rachel, I know everything about you and I couldn't love you more. You're my best friend, and I am asking you to just give this guy a chance. Will you? Please? -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Kurt, even if I wanted to give him a chance I wouldn't be able to go anyway. -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Well, lucky for you your genius best friend just thought of an amazing plan. -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_What? -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Just sit tight and let Kurt handle everything. -BroadwayWannabe24_**

* * *

Rachel walked into the living room of the house and saw Quinn and Brittany taking pictures of each other all dressed up in their new dresses and beaded masks. Quinn posed for the camera, but stood up straight when she saw Rachel finishing her decent of the staircase.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Quinn said as she made her way towards Rachel. "Have fun taking care of the less fortunate people tonight, it must be nice to finally be able to spend time with people on your level."

Rachel stared at Quinn for a moment, "Well at least I'm not pathetic enough to pretend I have a date to the dance."

Quinn gave Rachel an icy glare, "I have a date, for your information. Face it, short stacks, your just jealous of me. News flash, your just a sorry little loser that will never get anywhere in life because you're so completely pathetic. No one likes you, and its about time you start understanding it."

Brittany muttered a soft "Quinn" from the other side of the room. Both girls expected Rachel to react in an explosive manner. However, Rachel held her ground and didn't even budge. Finally, she took another step towards Quinn, her eyes remaining locked with the Ice Queen's.

"Quinn, you may have taken my room, my house, my free time, my everything, but you will _not_ take my dignity. There are many things that you will never even begin to know about me, and I promise you that you will regret everything that you have said to me in the future." Rachel walked back towards the staircase and gave her step sisters one final look. "Have fun at the dance. See you when you get home." With that, Rachel walked up the stairs to her bedroom to gather her things to take to the homeless shelter.

* * *

Rachel poured soup into a bowl and laced it on the counter of the homeless shelter. A man took the soup from the counter and said a grateful "thank you" to Rachel before sitting down to gulp down his soup. Rachel loved volunteering, it gave her a sense of importance. A feeling she never received at home.

Rachel was under strict instructions from Sue. She was to volunteer at the homeless shelter until midnight exactly, the time when Sue would return to the shelter to make sure Rachel had been doing everything correctly.

_"Is there a princess-to-be in the building?"_

Rachel heard the all to familiar voice from across the room. She looked up to see Kurt dressed in his best formal wear and wearing a bedazzled mask on his face. He crossed the room towards her and twirled to give Rachel the full effect of his outfit.

"Wow, lookin' good Kurt," Rachel complimented, leaving her position from behind the counter.

"Thank you, it took me hours to perfect," Kurt replied.

Rachel smiled at her friend. "So, what are you doing here? Don't you have a dance to get to?"

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Kurt questioned. "Don't you mean a dance that _we_ need to get to?"

Rachel sighed, "Kurt, we have been over this a thousand times now. I ca-"

Kurt held up a hand to silence her. "Say no more my little diva, Kurt has taken care of everything."

Just as Rachel was about to ask Kurt was he was talking about, the doors to the homeless shelter opened once more, allowing Tina Cohen-Chang to enter the building. Tina had her hair pinned up and took Rachel's apron from her. It only took Rachel a second to figure out exactly what was going on.

"Tina," Rachel began, "I can't ask you to do this for me."

"Rachel, please. Kurt told me about your situation, and I couldn't agree with Kurt more. You need to go to this dance, and if I can help you to do so, then I gladly will."

"What about Mike? Don't you want to go to the dance with your boyfriend?" Rachel asked Tina.

"Mike couldn't make it, so I would have been sitting at home doing nothing anyways."

Rachel bit her lip in contemplation, and glanced between Kurt and Tina. "I don't even have anything to wear."

Tina smiled, "Well, lucky for you I brought the perfect dress for you to wear tonight. Okay?"

Rachel looked at Kurt who was nodding frantically. She then looked back at Tina, "Okay, let's see this dress."

Kurt jumped up for joy, "Yes!" He grabbed Rachel's arm and dragged her towards the exit. "Okay, let's go and find you your prince charming!"

* * *

**Yayyy! Finchel coming up! Get excited! I have the next chapter all planned out and I think you guys will really like it! I'll try to update soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, instead of wasting my time on Twitter like I usually do, decided to do my homework early so I could have all evening to write.**

**Here is chapter six (a.k.a. the dance! ;))**

**ENJOY! :D**

* * *

_RACHEL POV_

I wrapped my coat tighter around my body as my breathing became more frequent. I could hear the music coming from the ballroom the school rented as we made our way towards the other McKinley High students. The music became louder and louder with each step as did the sound of my beating heart.

"Relax," Kurt demanded, obviously sensing my nervousness. "Rachel, you look awesome. Everything is going to go perfectly. I know it will."

I nodded as if to convince not only him but also myself. I felt like my heart was going to leap from my chest and abandon me when I needed it the most. This wasn't just a dance I was simply attending, I was meeting a boy who I had been talking to for the past few months. Kurt was right, as mush as I hated to admit it. This boy had been nothing but sweet to me from the moment we first met in that school chat room. He knew me. The _real_ me, and he would never leave me for something as silly as my upbringing.

Finally, Kurt and I reached the ballroom, where several students came into view as they danced away to the newest Katy Perry song. Kurt began his decent on the staircase leading to the dance floor as I removed my coat. Once my coat was removed I smoothed out the silky white fabric of my Cinderella-like dress and adjusted my white sparkling mask. I stepped onto the first step, intending to follow Kurt, but I paused as I saw everyone turn my way. They all gazed at the gorgeous dress Tina had been kind enough to allow me to borrow.

"What's everyone staring at?"

I heard Kurt's voice from the bottom of the stairs and watched as he turned around to look at the same thing everyone else was. A smile grew on his face as he saw me and he mouthed the words "you look so beautiful."

Feeling a tad awkward under the stares of everyone else, I finished making my way towards Kurt. Everyone resumed their dancing, sparing a casual glance towards my dress every now and then.

"Okay," Kurt began, taking my bedazzled cell phone from me. "I'm setting your alarm for a quarter to twelve so we have plenty of time to get you back to the shelter before Sue arrives." He handed my phone back to me and waited for me to clip it to the strap of my right heel. "It's almost time for you to meet your mystery man"

I glanced towards the middle of the dance floor and didn't notice anyone hanging around the area. I turned back to Kurt, "Are you going to be okay by yourself? I feel bad for ditching you to go and find Mr. Internet."

"Stop worrying about me," Kurt waved his hand dismissively. "Besides I might have my own prince charming in mind."

"Ooooo, really?" I asked excitedly, "Who is the lucky guy?"

"You know that new kid in our English class?" Kurt asked me.

"The kid who's always wearing hair-gel?"

"Yes," Kurt confirmed. "His name is Blaine Anderson. I don't know what it is about him, Rachel, but I just can't get him off my mind."

I smiled widely, "Kurt this is so fantastic! You two would be so cute together!"

Kurt's cheeks reddened, "Okay, enough about me. You need to go, you can't keep your mystery boy waiting!" He pushed me towards the center of the dance floor and waved me on.

I walked out towards the center of the dance floor and looked at my surroundings. A more upbeat song began playing causing more couples to walk to the dance floor. I didn't see anyone approaching me, and I was starting to get impatient. I made a quick glance to see what Kurt was up to, and a smile came to my face when I saw him walking up to Blaine. I watched as Kurt got Blaine's attention, and they nervously started a conversation with each other.

The sound of someone clearing their throat came from behind me. I paused before turning around and I sucked in a deep breath. I knew exactly what was about to happen, this was it.

As I turned around I found my self looking straight at someone's chest. My eyes trailed up the tall body standing in front of me. He wore a simple mask the covered most of his face, except from his lips and his brightly golden amber eyes.

_Those eyes._

I couldn't help but feel like I had seen those eyes before.

"Are you-" I began.

"Yes," he responded immediately. "And I'm assuming you're the Barbara Streisand lover I've been chatting with?"

I laughed from embarrassment, "My friend calls me Baby Barbara sometimes, and the name just kind of stuck."

The side of his mouth curved up to form a half-smiled on his face. "I like it."

"Thanks," I said softly, smiling back. We stood for a moment, neither of is knowing how this encounter was going to go. As we stood, I began studying his features. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't match a name with a face.

"It's kind of loud in here," the man finally said, "Do you want to head outside so we can talk?"

I nodded up at him. He was _so_ much taller than me. At least a foot. He had to be somewhere around 6'3" or 6'4".

I followed him out of the crowded ball room and we began strolling around the perimeter of the building. The right side of the building had a long walk way lined with flowers. We entered the walkway and I gazed up to see aches made of flowers above us.

"This is so incredible," I commented, admiring the dozens of flowers surrounding us. I glanced over at him to see him looking into my eyes. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, looking away for a second before looking back at me. "It's just… looking at you, I know I've seen you before. And from talking to you for so long and getting to know you so well… you'd think I would be able to tell who you are quickly."

I nodded in agreement. "I know the feeling."

He tilted his head for a moment, "Are you sure you go to McKinley?"

I laughed, "Of course I'm sure!"

He looked forward again and smiled, "How come I don't remember those eyes?"

I shrugged. "I guess I tend to stay out of the spot light."

He looked a bit confused by that statement.

"What?" I questioned.

"I don't know," he started, "You just seem like the outgoing type of girl. You come off as this strong, independent, and expressive girl."

I shrugged silently. Truthfully, I was strong, independent, and expressive, or I used to be at least. But he didn't need to know the reasons behind it. However, even though I had only "known" him for a few minutes I already felt as if I could trust him.

"We don't have to talk about it," he interrupted my thoughts. I smiled thankfully at him. We continued walking along silently until I felt something touch my hand. I glanced down and saw his hand wrap around mine. I looked up at him to see him smiling down at me. I wasn't sure why, but I felt the need to tell him. I hadn't told anyone about my past besides Kurt, and he didn't even know the entire truth.

"There are things going on at home that I don't really like to talk about," I began.

"You don't have to tell me this," he repeated.

I shook my head. "I want to. When you talk about your love for music, it reminds me of my past. Music used to be such a huge part of my life, and now I can't even remember the last time I sang." I paused and took a deep breath. "I was adopted when I was little. My parents died when I was very young and I barely remember them. The man who adopted me taught me all about music and started enrolling me in all these creative arts classes. I had my Broadway dreams all planned out."

"What happened?" he asked softly.

"Shortly after he remarried he got really sick. He didn't make it, and my stepmother wasn't too fond of me. I guess I didn't really have much motivation to continue on."

He remained silent, taking in all the information I had just given him.

"I've never really told anyone that story," I told him. "No one really knows what it's like to lose everything that is important to you."

He finally spoke, "My dad died when I was only two months old."

I looked up at him, and rubbed my thumb across my hand as I waited for him to continue.

"My mom raised me all by herself," he said. "When I was little I never really understood what was going on, but as grew older, started to realize all the sacrifices she had to make for me. Her friends… her free time… everything. Everything I do is to try to make my mom proud of me. I'm afraid that if I don't get into New York, then I'll just be letting her down, and everyone else down too."

"If you try your best then your mother will be proud regardless. She just wants you to be happy."

"What about you? Singing makes you happy."

"Yes," I admitted. "But it reminds me too much of my past."

"Are things really that bad now?" he asked.

"I manage," I said.

We approached a gazebo in the center of the garden area, and the two of us walked into the center. We stood facing each other and he held out his hand to request a dance that I kindly accepted.

"I must warn you, I'm the worst dancer," he said as we began swaying along to the music that was coming from inside the building.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, "That's okay. Just follow my lead." We swayed back and forth slowly as the song progressed. The smell of his cologne drifted towards me and I allowed myself to lean my head on his shoulder. This was a feeling I hadn't been able to feel in a long time. A feeling of being wanted and appreciated. Being in his arms made me feel like I was capable of going somewhere. I wanted to sing for him. Yes, I wanted to sing for him. I wanted to stand on stage again and spread my talent.

I was finally _alive_.

I felt him pull back a little and he looked into my eyes. I was about to ask him what he was doing, but I watched with wide eyes as he reached behind his head and began to untie the string covering his face.

"I've only just met you, yet I feel like I can really trust you. But I can't do that unless I'm being totally honest," he said. He pulled the mask from his face slowly and lowered his hands.

I sucked in a breath when I found myself looking into the eyes of Finn Hudson, the quarterback of the football team. The boy who was best friends with the guys that insisted on making my life miserable on a daily basis.

"Finn?" I asked softly, still not believing it. The closeted musician I had been falling for was Finn Hudson.

"I know, I don't exactly seem like the guy you've been getting to know."

I shook my head slowly.

He took my hands in his. "I hope more than anything that you're still glad you came to meet me tonight."

I took a deep breath. "I have no regrets."

He smiled, and he dropped my hands at my sides. I saw his hands reach to the sides of my face, grabbing my mask to remove it from my face. I closed my eyes, waiting for him to reveal my identity, but at that moment, the timer on my cell phone rang.

Finn paused his actions, "What's that?"

I gave him a sad look and whispered, "I have to go."

"Wait what?" he asked, "Why?"

"I'm sorry," I said, and stepped out of the gazebo and ran back towards the building. I turned around one last time to see Finn still standing in the gazebo looking abandoned.

I dashed into the ball room and immediately spotted Kurt dancing with Blaine. I hurried over to them and pulled the two buys apart. I hated to ruin Kurt's special night, but it was time to go!

When Kurt noticed that it was me who interrupted his dance. He looked at the clock and immediately looked panicked. He gave a quick goodbye to Blaine and ran with me out to the parking lot. We jumped into his car and raced away from the dance. We only had a few minutes until Sue would be arriving at the homeless shelter. I was in _so _much trouble.

* * *

**They've finally met! **

**Coming up, Rachel is going to reconsider her ban on music, Finn is going to go a little crazy looking for his mystery girl, and Quinn is not going to be happy about her "date" not showing up for her.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! Hey! Hey! I have the next three chapters planned out and I just have to type them up, so [hopefully] I'll be able to update frequently over the next few days. I guess we'll have to wait and see!**

**Here is chapter seven! Unfortunately Finn doesn't appear in this chapter, but soon he will be determined to find his Cinderella!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

We stopped in front of the busy intersection as the traffic light turned yellow. I shot Kurt an annoyed look from the passenger seat, we were in no position to be slow.

"Kurt, what are you doing?" I exclaimed. I motioned towards the light. "You have plenty of time to go! Why did you stop."

"Well excuse me for not wanting to be in an accident," Kurt defended himself. "You know how reckless some drivers can get. I can't risk hurting my baby!" He gently ran his hands around the steering wheel to add extra effect.

"Sue is going to _kill_ me," I leaned back against my seat. "What time is it? We only have until midnight to get back." I started to look towards the digital clock in Kurt's car.

"Don't bother, the clock isn't right," Kurt informed me. Dad drove it once and totally messed up the whole system."

"It's okay," I replied. "I have my phone right here." I reached down to removed my phone from my shoe, but when I looked my phone was nowhere to be seen! I started frantically looking around Kurt's car in search for my cell phone.

Kurt looked over at me, "Everything okay down there?"

"No! My phone's not here!" I felt around under my seat and only felt the bars holding the seat in place.

"Maybe it's between the seats," Kurt suggested. The traffic light _finally _turned green and Kurt proceeded to drive down the street towards the homeless shelter.

I dug my hand down between the seats of the car and failed to feel my cell phone. "It's not here!"

"Rachel, relax," Kurt interrupted my desperate search. "I'm sure it's somewhere in here. Tonight, when I get home, I'll look for it. Okay?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "Okay. I'll calm down on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You drive faster! I don't know what time it is, but I know we are on a tight schedule, so move it or lose it, Kurt!" I felt the car speed up a little and remained content for a while.

* * *

"There you two are!" Tina exclaimed once Kurt and I ran into the homeless shelter. "Sue's going to be here any minute? What took you guys so long?"

"Kurt drives like my grandmother," I responded quickly. "Where's my change of clothes?"

Tina tossed me my bag of clothes that she had placed behind the counter area. "Hurry!"

I caught the bag of clothes in mid-air and raced towards the restroom area, only to find a long line for the restrooms. I groaned audibly and began to glance around the room in frustration. "Okay," I whispered to myself, "here goes nothing." I quickly unzipped the clothing bag and pulled the pair of jeans I was wearing earlier that day out. I slipped them on underneath my dress. I earned a few strange looks from the people surrounding me. I gave them the _leave me alone_ glare, I was definitely not in the mood to deal with them. Next, I pulled out my shirt and I couldn't have been happier that the dress Tina lent me was strapless.

_"Where is she?"_

I heard the voice of Sue enter the building. She sounded frustrated and impatient.

_"Ummm-"_

That was Kurt's voice, not being able to come up with a swift cover up for my absence. _Thanks a lot, Kurt._

_"She is… uhhh… umm…"_

"Right here!" I stepped out from around the corner, freshly changed out of my incredible Cinderella dress. Tina and Kurt both sent me relieved glances. "You really missed out Sue, nothing beats the rewarding feeling of volunteering."

"Oh, yes, I can only imagine. My heart is just breaking from the loss," Sue replied sarcastically. She gave the remaining people in the shelter a look of disgust. "Rachel, as much as I'd love to stay and get that 'rewarding' that comes from volunteering, we have to get home for Quinn and Brittany."

"I'll give her a ride home," Tina volunteered, "I mean if Rachel wants to stay later."

I glanced at my friends, immediately knowing that they ere dying to know details about the dance. I looked back at Sue and gave her a pleading look. She has to say yes, she's always going on about never wanting to spend any time with me.

"Fine," Sue said just as I had predicted. "Don't be out too late though, I don't want you waking me up in the middle of the night."

"Sure thing, Sue," I agreed to her conditions. I watched as she turned around and left the building as soon as she possibly could. When she was completely gone from the property Tina, Kurt, and I all sat down around the table. Before I could even say one word, Tina and Kurt were already leaning forward in their chairs in anticipation for the story.

Kurt was the first one to speak up, "Okay, Rachel, spill it! We need to know!"

I laughed at his impatience. "I don't know where to begin," I said to them.

"Was he everything you were expecting?" Tina asked, helping me along with the story.

"Everything and more," I replied. "He's so sweet and understanding! I can't even begin to describe it."

"What did you guys do?" Tina asked next.

"We just went on a walk and talked. He told me a little about his family and I told him about mine," I said to her. I noticed Kurt giving me a strange look. "And, no, I didn't tell him about Quinn and Brittany. I didn't even tell him who I am actually. Considering the circumstances he probably would have fled the area."

"The circumstances?" Kurt questioned.

"Yeah, like I said, I didn't tell him who I am, but he revealed his identity just before I had to leave," I admitted. I watched as their eyes widened.

"And?" Tina asked, raising her eyebrows. "Who is he?"

"When I first found out who he was I was completely shocked. Everything he told me before seemed like the exact opposite of his personality, but then again, he always told me that he constantly feels like he has to act a certain way to impress other people. I never really got the chance to get to know _him_ and now that I do, I understand how different he is on the inside than he appears to be on the outside."

"Who is he?" Tina repeated her earlier question.

"Finn Hudson."

Kurt looked as shocked as I was not too long ago. "Finn Hudson? Quarterback Finn Hudson? The leader of the horrendous slushie attacks? Rachel, you have got to be kidding me. What if this is just Quinn playing a prank on you?"

Tina nodded next to him in agreement.

"It's not Quinn," I assured them. "Think about it, when has Finn _ever _shlushied you?"

Tina thought for a moment, "Well, I guess he's never really in on the attacks."

Kurt shook his head. "I still don't trust him. I never have and I never will. Even if he is actually who you say he is, what about his friends? Finn Hudson is all about population, and how do you think his idiot football friends are going to react when they find out he like you?"

Tina nodded, "Yeah, Kurt's right. You're a great girl, Rachel, but being with Finn doesn't seem like the best idea. You two might work perfectly behind closed doors, but do you really expect him to be willing to walk hand in hand down the halls at school? Or introduce you to his friends?"

I gave them both an angry look. "I can't believe this. Especially you, Kurt! You're the one that has been nagging me for _months_ telling me why I should trust this guy, and now that I do you're telling me to stay away from him? Finn is super caring and considerate, and he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. You haven't been talking to him. The things he says, and the things he does… I know he means it. He _hates_ being the popular football player. He _hates _being a save to his own reputation. I was wary of all this earlier, but now I have no doubts. I finally have a chance at actually being appreciated, and whether you like it or not, I am taking that chance."

Kurt and Tina both exchanged glances and looked back at me.

"You really trust him?" Kurt asked me, and I nodded. He looked at Tina one last time before turning back to me. "Then, I do too. What's the new plan?"

* * *

**Yay! Everything is good and happy again! (For now!)**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I really didn't think I was going to have time to finish this chapter today! Physics has basically taken over my life. Who cares about calculating the weight parallel to an object sliding down an inclined plane? Not this girl!**

**Anyways, here is chapter eight! ENJOY!**

* * *

"It's the house right up here on the right," I said to Tina as I points in the direction of my house, or Sue's house rather.

Tina pulled into the long driveway and pulled up to the house before she put her car into park.

"Thanks for giving me a ride," I thanked her. "And better yet, thanks for saving me from any additions time with Sue."

"No problem, Rachel. I'm glad to help," Tina replied. "Good luck with Finn on Monday. I'm sure everything will be just fine."

"I hope so," I replied. "But like I said before, he's different from all the other football players. He actually has a heart and isn't afraid to be a man. His whole 'popular quarterback' thing was just an act."

"Why does he do this? Pretend, I mean. You never really told Kurt and I."

"He feels the need to constantly make everyone proud, and he got into the habit of even being miserable in order to please other people. He started it because he has a single mother and she did everything for him, so he feels the need to pay her back."

"Well, that is pretty sweet," Tina commented. "But it isn't very healthy that he is settling for being unhappy."

"I know, but if he gets into the musical summer camp this summer, maybe he'll finally start to open up," I said.

"Hopefully he does," Tina replied. "And I'm sure you'll be able to make him happy too," she said with a wink.

I laughed next to her, "First I have to figure out how I am going to tell him its me. Maybe he won't make too big of a deal out of it and I can just tell him calmly."

Tina shrugged, "Whatever happens tomorrow, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks, Tina," I smiled, "You're a great friend."

"I'm glad to be here for you," Tina responded. "Make sure you tell me on Monday how everything goes. I'm sure everything will work out as planned. You deserve it, Rachel."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you so much, Tina." I reached across the car and gave her a hug. When I pulled away from her I got out of the car and walked up to the front door of the house. I turned around to wave goodbye to her before she back down the driveway and drove off down the street.

I walked inside the house quietly so I wouldn't disturb Sue's peaceful slumber. However, it only took me a second to hear a lot of noise coming from the family room area. I heard a few voices from the other room, but I didn't recognize Sue's. The voices were quiet, so it was safe to assume they didn't want to wake Sue up either. As I approached the living room, I recognized one voice to be Quinn's. The other voice belonged to Brittany. I stood behind the door to the room to listen in on their hushed conversation. I listened carefully and only picked up the second half of her sentence.

"-and he has the nerve to stand me up? Who does he think he is? I am Quinn Fabray!" I heard her pacing around the room. "What has this world come to?"

"Quinn, calm down, Brittany soothed. "There has to be an explanation for all of this."

"What reason could he possibly have for leaving me all alone, Brittany? He was my date and he never even showed up! We were supposed to be the power couple of the dance!"

Suddenly Quinn's unknown problem became clear in my head. Finn was _her _date, but he spent the evening with _me_ instead. Finn wasn't the type to stand people up. Maybe he never really wanted to go on a date with Quinn. Quinn probably made it all up in her head so she wouldn't look stupid for going to the dance without a date. I couldn't help but wonder what Quinn would do if she found out her 'date' stood her up for me.

_Wait._

According to Quinn, Finn really was her date. She's have my head hanging from the flagpole of she ever found out about the happenings of last night. She would kill both Finn and I if she ever discovered our blossoming romance.

Quinn's voice continued on, "Because of his horrific actions I didn't even win masquerade Queen! The girl who won didn't even go up and accept her crown. What a coward? Not that I blame them, I wouldn't want to face me either."

_There was a masquerade Queen? How stupid!_

"Stupid Cinderella girl," Quinn mumbled.

_Cinderella girl?_

"You have to admit that her dress was awesome," Brittany replied. "It was kind of perfect, you know, Cinderella becoming Queen and all."

"Perfect? Brittany, a commoner won Queen. I'm Queen! I was supposed to rule the school with Finn standing by my side. If that Cinderella girl thinks she can come in a steal my crown, then she better think again."

I gulped as thought of what Quinn would do to me filled my head. The number of possibilities was endless. I decided to make my way through the family room and up to my bedroom while Quinn and Brittany's conversation was momentarily paused. As soon as I took a step into the room Quinn gave me an annoyed look.

"What are you doing here, man hands," Quinn asked, eying me in disgust.

"I just got back from the shelter, and I'm heading to my room," I replied. I crossed the family room and headed towards the staircase. I practically ran up the stairs so Quinn wouldn't have the chance to say anything more to me. I entered my bedroom and shut the door behind me, leaning back against the door to catch my breath. Once I regained my normal breathing pace, I had time to completely gather my scattered thoughts.

_Me, a Queen?_

Cinderella was only a fairytale. Sure, I might be able to find the one guy who actually cares about me, but as for Queen? It doesn't seem possible to have the whole school look up to a girl like me. Sure, they have no idea who Cinderella is, but still. Cinderella is very much me, and I am no Queen.

From across the room, I saw the "new message" light on my computer come on. I made my way across the room, hoping that it was Fin sending me the message. I read the computer screen in anticipation, only to have my high hopes shattered as Kurt's name flashed in front of me.

**_Just checked the entire car for your phone. I couldn't find it. Maybe you dropped it at the dance? -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Possibly -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Kurt, do you remember when I told you that Quinn was going to the dance with Finn? -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Yeah, I remember you mentioning something like that. Why do you ask? Is Finn the two timing jerk that I predicted he would be? -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_No! Kurt! I just wanted to inform you that when I got home tonight Quinn was complaining about her date never showing up. I'm pretty sure that it never really was a date and Quinn just made everything up in her head -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Is she really that desperate? And what did she expect would happen? She would walk into the dance and she and Finn would just fall into each others arms? Oh, please! -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Tell me about it. Maybe she's not 'all that' anymore -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Hopefully. It's about time she got a taste of her own medicine -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Agreed. I look forward to watching the fall of our almighty Queen -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Speaking of Queen, I wonder who won the masquerade Queen? We left before they announced the winner -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Oh, yeah… that was another thing Quinn was complaining about. The winner is me, or Cinderella actually -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Wait, what? You won? -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Yeah! I guess Tina's dress made quite the impression on people. That's the only reason why I won. When they all find out the truth they'll be running to withdraw their votes -BabyBarbara133_**

**_Rachel, stop it. You're awesome. Amazing. Incredible. And if they can't see that, then I guess they just won't be invited to spend some time on your super cool private jet when you're rich and famous -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_True that! -BabyBarbara133_**

**_They all wish they were as awesome as us -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Well, duh! -BabyBarbara133_**

**_It's getting pretty late. Think I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you Monday at school. -BroadwayWannabe24_**

**_Goodnight, Kurt -BabyBarbara133_**

I signed off of my computer and decided to go to bed as well. As I climbed into my bed thoughts of Finn filled my mind. What was going to happen Monday? How do I act? Do I saw hi? Do I come right out and tell him the truth? Do I wait for him to initiate the search?

There's only one way to answer those questions.

I have to face Finn on Monday.

* * *

**There it is! Hope you liked it!**

**Review! Reviews are what make my writing so much more enjoyable for me!**

**Okay, glee is coming on RIGHT NOW! Yay! Katy vs. Gaga!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine! :) Get excited!**

* * *

I played with the necklace I was wearing around my neck as I walked towards the school building Monday morning. Many different scenarios ran though my head during the weekend of what could possibly happen. Would he recognize me? Would he forget about the whole Cinderella thing completely? No, he was better than that. Definitely better.

As I walked up to the school I waked past a throng of students gathered in front of the building. They always do that, I don't know what is so appealing about sitting on the grass, but apparently it's the new big thing. I heard their conversations as I walked past the numerous cliques. The most common word I heard as I walked through was _Cinderella_.

They were all so interested in the mystery. This Cinderella girl won Queen, but never showed up to reveal her identity. If I was anyone else, I'd probably be curios too, but I happen to be the girl everyone's talking about now.

Who would have thought? The unknown loser girl being the talk of the school. Quinn will throw a fit! Finally, her reign of terror might just be coming to an official close.

_You're welcome, world_.

Finally I reached the school building. I opened the huge glass doors and walked inside, but immediately froze when I saw the conditions of the walls.

Instead of seeing the ugly off-white and slightly yellow colored walls that usually made McKinley High, I saw hundreds of multi-colored posters hung on every corner of every wall. Red, blue, green, yellow, and purple posters were everywhere. What was going on? I approached a poster and carefully peeled it off the wall. My jaw dropped as I read the short article about the ever so mysterious "Cinderella Girl" and how whomever made the posters was desperate to find her. I already knew who made the posters. Finn, of course.

Suddenly, a voice came up behind me. "Remember all that stuff I said about Finn possibly not caring about you? Yeah, I take it all back."

I turned around to see Tina standing next to me, looking at all the posters in awe. I continued to eye the poster in my hand. Finn really did want to find me! Why didn't I just tell him my identity at the dance? So what if my phone timer went off? All I had to do was remove the mask, and then run away from him like some foolish little girl. Then he could contact me directly, instead of grilling the entire school.

"Oh my Gaga." Kurt came up beside me, his jaw dropping as he looked at the condition of the school. "What happened here?"

"Rachel's boyfriend is desperate to find her," Tina sang.

"Shut up," I said, lightly pushing her away. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Regardless of what's going on, Cinderella, how are you going to tell him? Candle lit dinner? Dramatic hallway scene?" Kurt asked me. He noticed me beginning to shake my head. "Please do not tell me you are planning on just telling him out of the blue."

I shrugged my shoulders, "How else do I tell him? I can't make a big scene. Quinn would kill me. She's already made it her mission to destroy Cinderella. I need to tell him discretely. I prefer Quinn not ripping my head off."

"Okay, okay, I see your point," Kurt admitted. "But once it happens you better make a big deal of it. This is your first real relationship. It's important."

"Well, what about you?" I asked him. "I saw you chatting away with Blaine at the dance. What's going on there?"

"Wait," Tina interrupted. "Blaine? When did this happen?"

"Nothing is happening. We met, we danced, I left. End of story," Kurt replied.

I crossed my arms, "No, beginning of story! You need to find him, make plans with him, and fall in love with him!"

It was now Kurt's turn to blush. "I don't know what will come from Blaine and I, but I do know that you and Finn need to clear all this Cinderella stuff up."

"Yes," Tina agreed. "And why she is clearing all of that up, you can go and find Blaine! I am tired of being the only one in a relationship. Okay? So, Kurt, it is time to be a big boy and find Blaine!" Tina used all of her force and pushed Kurt away from our little group of three. Once Kurt was gone she turned back to me. "Okay, Cinderella. It's time to find your man!"

"Tina, do you realize how big this school is?" I asked her. "How am I supposed to find him?"

"How about you try turning around."

I gave her a confused look, but turned around anyway. There _he_ was, hanging up Cinderella flyers with Noah Puckerman and Mike Chang, Tina's boyfriend. I watched as the three of them chatted away as they hung the posters on the walls.

"Rachel," Tina said, "just go. You said yourself that he truly cares about you, and he's obviously dying to know who you are. This is your chance!"

I nodded towards her. Tina was right. It was time to tell the truth. I crossed the lobby area of the school and made my way towards Finn. Luckily, before I got to him, Noah and Mike left. I watched as they said their goodbyes to each other and went their separate ways. Finn then continued to hang posters on the wall. He was struggling to hold the box containing the posters and tape a poster to the wall at the same time. Suddenly, he accidentally dropped the box, and the flyers went everywhere.

I rushed over to where he was kneeling and I bent down to help him pick up the scattered posters. We neatly stacked them back into the box, and when we were done he helped me back up from the floor.

"Thank you," Finn said to me. He looked into my eyes for the first time since the poster incident and gave me a strange look. "You look really familiar to me."

_It's happening!_

"I do?" I asked him. I gently touched the skin around my face to try to give him a hint.

A look of sudden realization came to his face and he smiled. "Oh, yeah, you're the slushie girl from the other day. I'm still really sorry for that, by the way."

My face fell, "It's okay. I guess." I shook the disappointment from my face. "Is there anywhere else you might know me from?"

He thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure of any place else besides school. Why? Should I?"

"Well, actually," I began, taking a step towards him. I gulped my nerves down and took a deep breath. "Finn, I'm Cin-"

"Finn!"

We both looked in the direction that the voice was coming from. I saw Quinn storming down the hallway towards us. _Oh, no!_ Quinn cannot see me talking to Finn!

I turned back to Finn, "I should go. I'm sorry." I side-stepped around him and began to walk away.

"Wait a minute," Finn called after me. I turned around to see what he wanted to ask me. "Should I know you from somewhere?"

"Just think about it, Finn," I said to him before turning around and leaving before Quinn could see me talking to Finn.

* * *

_-No one's POV-_

Rachel sat at her computer desk in her bedroom and scrolled through all the past messages between her and Finn. She rested her head on the palm of her hand as she read through the messages. Why did Quinn have to ruin everything? Finn was never even Quinn's date to the dance, yet she still thought she had some kind of claim on Finn.

Rachel hated always having to finish last to her sisters. Brittany and Quinn got everything they wanted. When was it going to be her turn?

"Rachel?" Brittany barged into Rachel's bedroom unannounced. "Have you finished my history report yet?"

Rachel turned around in her chair to look at Brittany. "No, not yet. I'm still working on it."

"Okay. Can you hurry up? It's really stressing me out that I don't have it yet," Brittany whined.

"Yeah, imagine how stressed you'd be if you actually had to write it," Rachel replied.

"Oh," Brittany said. "You're right. I'm so glad you're doing this paper for me."

Rachel rolled her eyes and turned around, intending to resume her reading, however Sue's voice suddenly came booming through the house.

"Rachel! Come here! I have something I need you to do!"

Rachel sighed, "I'll be there in a minute, Sue!"

"No, now!" Sue yelled back.

Rachel looked over at Brittany, who had taken a seat on Rachel's bed. "I'll be right back and then I'll work on your paper, okay?"

Brittany nodded and watched as Rachel left the room. Brittany began picking at her fingernails as she waited for Rachel to return. She let her eyes wander around the small bedroom and she took in her surroundings. She never really spent much time in Rachel's bedroom, and not that she was in there, the room had never seemed smaller. Brittany's eyes landed on the computer across the room. She smiled and quietly made her way over towards the computer. Brittany sat down at the computer seat and scrolled through the many emails sent by someone named _Titan142._

"Who is this?" Brittany said out loud to herself. She scrolled through and started reading something about a dance they were going to. She also read about them not knowing each other, and it didn't take long for Brittany to put the dots together. She gasped, "Rachel is Cinderella?"

Brittany read through all the emails thoroughly, and couldn't believe what she was reading. And what she didn't know was that Quinn had been standing in the hall with her jaw dropped to the floor. Quinn's flesh boiled and she wanted to scream. Rachel Berry was the reason she was dateless at the dance? Rachel Berry was the reason Finn Hudson didn't want to date her? And Rachel Berry was the reason Quinn's life was terrible at that moment?

Quinn shook her head. Something had to be done.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I'm back with chapter 10! I have to say that I really like this chapter, and I hope that you guys will too!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_~Rachel POV~_

I watched him as he stood at his locker, exchanging the text books in his book bags with ones from his locker. He removed his Spanish book and placed his math book in his book bag before he moved on to exchanging the notebooks he was carrying around with him.

Next, he did something strange. He made a quick glance around his area, as if to make sure no one was watching him. I quickly moved my glance away from him as his eyes scanned the area I was standing in. When the coast seemed to be clear his hands quickly plunged into his locker to grab something. He grabbed a pair of drumsticks and shoved hem deep into his book bag. He looked around once more before continuing his book bag and locker exchange.

I never understood why he felt the need to be so secretive about his passion for the arts. It's nothing to be ashamed of, if anything, being a musician only heightens one's social status. Then again, from what Finn told me, he doesn't want to have a high social status and is content staying under the radar. Still, music is his hobby, and he should express it.

I suppose I'm totally contradicting myself. I too am hiding something that makes me happy. But, even though music makes me feel alive in ways I can't even describe, it reminds me too much of Darrell and my past.

Maybe Sue's right. Maybe I am fit to be a maid for the rest of my life.

I noticed Tina walking up to me, waving as she got closer.

"Hey, girl," she said once she reached my side. "What's up?"

"The same thing that has been up," I replied, pointing over at Finn.

Tina's eyes widened, "You still haven't told him? Rachel! What are you waiting for? What did you do yesterday? I thought you were going to tell him!"

I held my hands up defensively, "I almost told him, but right as the words were coming out of my mouth Quinn had to come and yell at him about 'ditching' her at the dance. She came down the hall screaming 'Finn!' while I was in mid-sentence of telling Finn I'm Cinderella."

"Why is that girl so hung up on Finn?" Tina asked exasperatedly. "I can't see her as the type to be chasing after a guy that shows zero interest in her."

"That's just the point," I responded. "He shows zero interest in her, positive or negative. It's driving her insane because she can't stand knowing that she never even crosses her mind. She just wants to be known by everyone in the school. And plus, he's the quarterback, she's got it in her mind that the quarterback and the head cheerleader as supposed to date even if they have no feelings towards each other."

"That's so stupid! He doesn't even know her! She doesn't even know him! Why would he automatically want to date her?"

"Because Quinn is self-obsessed and conceited and thinks everyone should be bowing down at her feet when she walks by. In her mind, why wouldn't someone want to date her automatically?"

"I guess that makes sense," Tina admitted. "It's a shame though that she'll never be able to date him."

"Why's that?"

Tina began to smile, "Because by the time she gets around to pestering his again, he'll already be with you! I'm going to keep saying this until you actually tell him the truth Rachel, this is your chance. It's now or never!"

"Tina-"

"No, Rachel! Go and make me proud!"

Tina pushed me in the direction towards Finn and forced me to approach him. I turned around to give her a mean look, and Tina just smiled, winked, waved, and walked away in return. I rolled my eyes and proceeded to walk towards Finn, playing with my hair out of nervousness.

I was getting pretty close to him when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Hey, Cinderella."

I froze, knowing exactly who was behind me. This cannot be happening! I turned around and prayed this wasn't going to be as bad as it seemed.

"Quinn," I replied to my stepsister. How did she even find out? I was so careful. The only people that knew were Kurt and Tina, and neither of them would have told the truth to Quinn of all people.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Quinn asked me and she took a few steps forward.

"No, you're not an idiot. Why would I think you're an idiot?" I asked nervously, starting to feel cornered.

"You stood there and listened to me go on and Finn ditching me and how I plan to destroy Cinderella. Did you think I would never find out the truth? Did you think I'm not good enough to find out the truth?"

"No, of course not," I replied.

"You should really be more careful about your email account, Rachel. Leaving it open and unlocked while Brittany's in your room probably isn't the best idea. We know all about your little email relationship, Rachel," Quinn said. "What did you think was going to happen? Hide long enough to lure him in, then expose yourself, and expect Finn to love you? The pathetic loser servant girl? Rachel, he's the quarterback. He belongs with me."

"He doesn't care about popularity," I said to her. "He doesn't want that life."

Quinn scoffed, "Oh, please. Everyone wants that, Rachel. Even you! Everyone wants to be liked by everyone in the school. Being with me will boost Finn's popularity even more."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Okay, so what are you going to do to me? Destroy me? Well, news flash Quinn, you're already doing a great job of making my life miserable."

Quinn shook her head, "Destroy you? No, that would be to easy. It would be the easy way out. There would be no fun in that."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked worriedly.

"Just sit back and relax, Rachel, because you've got yourself a front row seat."

"What are you talking about?"

Quinn smiled. "It's obvious you really like him. And we just can't have that. So, as far as Finn's concerned, I'm Cinderella. I'm the one he's been talking to. I'm the one he danced with. And I'm the one who is living happily ever after. And the best part is you get to watch the whole thing happen." Quinn smirked and walked away from me, strolling over to where Finn was standing. I watched as she got his attention, and did her best to look nervous. She twirled her hair around her fingers and looked up into his eyes. I couldn't watch it anymore. I couldn't watch a heartless witch steal the only boy in the school that actually has a heart. I backed away from the spot in the hallway and ran down the hallway.

I wasn't sure where I was going, but I felt like I was being drawn somewhere. I kept running, trying not to cry. It felt like a magnet, a strong pull that I couldn't break. I was reaching for something, but what? I went through a hallway I had left abandoned for years, not knowing what I was doing there. It was wrong, but so right. It was abandoned, but still permanently etched in my heart. I swung open the huge red doors that had been shut for me for ages. The scent, the look, the feel came rushing back to me all at once. It was home, it was the past, and it was the future. I stood in the center, finally feeling alive and accepted.

It was the auditorium.

I stopped to catch my breath on the large and empty stage. My eyes widened as I took in my surroundings. The lights were dimmed above me, making the auditorium glow. The seats were empty, giving the room a cold feel.

Why was I here?

I wrapped my arms around myself. The room was so cold, quiet, and dark. I had never seen an auditorium like this. Every theatre I've even been to was filled with light and life. The warm and bright spirits of the performers brought the stages to life as they spread their passion around the room. It was all I ever wanted to do as a child, to bring a lifeless room to life with talent and joy. Now, it's been years since I've sung a single note. My vocal chords were dead and dry. They've been silenced for years by Sue.

No, it's not Sue's fault.

Everything I said to Finn, I should have said to myself. Singing is my passion. But, it's my own fault I let the fire go. I let Quinn, Brittany, Sue, and everyone push me around, and figure my life for me.

A song popped into my head. A tune I never quite understood until now. I softly began humming the tune, warming my rusty vocal chords up once more. My mouth opened, and I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes to let the sound flow out.

_What have I done?_

_I wish I could run,_

_Away from this ship going under_

My first few notes came out scratchy, but I powered through. I am worth something. I can do this_._

_Just trying to help _

_Hurt everyone else_

_Now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders _

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough _

_And all that you touch tumbles down? _

_Cause my best intentions Keep making a mess of things, _

_I just wanna fix it somehow _

_But how many times will it take? _

_Oh, how many times will it take for me to get it right, to get it right? _

My confidence slowly returned, and allowed myself to sing with more power and energy as I quickened the pace of the song.

_Can I start again, with my faith shaken?_

_Cause I can't go back and undo this _

_I just have to stay and face my mistakes, _

_But if I get stronger and wiser, I'll get through this _

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough?_

_And all that you touch tumbles down? _

_Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things, _

_I just wanna fix it somehow _

_But how many times will it take? _

_Oh, how many times will it take for me to get it right? _

_So I throw up my fist, throw a punch in the air, _

_And accept the truth that sometimes life isn't fair! _

_Yeah, I'll send out a wish, yeah, I'll send up a prayer _

_And finally someone will see how much I care _

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough? _

_And all that you touch tumbles down? _

_Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things, _

_I just wanna fix it somehow _

_But how many times will it take? _

_Oh, how many times will it take, to get it right? _

_To get it right?_

As I held out the last note, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I lifted my hand to wipe the salty tear from my face when suddenly I heard clapping from behind me. I spun around on my heels to see who had intruded on my private time.

I immediately recognized who the intruder was, "Kurt? What are you doing here?"

Kurt walked further into the auditorium and joined me on stage. He too had tears in his eyes. "I come here when I need some Kurt time." He wiped his tears away, "Rachel, that was breathtaking. I had no idea that you could sing like that, or that you even liked to sing. Why have you never shared this with me?"

I smiled, "I haven't sung in years, Kurt. I used to all the time though. I used to be just like you actually, dreaming of being on Broadway someday to share my talent and passion with the world."

"Why did you stop?" Kurt asked. "Rachel, you are amazing, what could have possibly made you stop?"

"Singing makes me feel good, or it _made _me feel good at least," I replied. "It reminds me too much of my past."

"Your past?" Kurt questioned.

"Kurt, there are things that I haven't shared with you. Things of my past that have made me who I am, but when Darrell died, I kind of shut them all away."

"Rachel, what are you talking about? Is everything okay?" Kurt asked in concern. "You know that you can tell me anything."

"I know, Kurt," I said to him. "I don't even know where to begin." I took a seat on the floor and motioned for Kurt to join me. When he took a seat next to me, I started with the story. "When I was little Darrell and I went on a trip to New York. At first, I didn't really think anything of it. I was young, and I didn't understand how amazing New York was. However, as soon as I saw a real Broadway show put on, I was truly amazed. The way they danced and sang, it amazed me. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to be on Broadway. As soon as Darrell and I returned home, he entered me in all sorts of competitions. I won most, if not all. I don't even remember anymore. Kurt, I had it all. I could have had it all, rather."

"What happened?" Kurt asked.

"Sue happened," I told him. "Darrell remarried, passed away, and my dreams were crushed. I love singing more than anything, but like I said, it reminds me too much of what could have been."

"Rachel," Kurt said softly, "You have got to stop letting Sue dictate your life. If what I just heard is your 'rusty' voice, then I promise that you are going to make it far, Rachel. You don't need Sue, Quinn, Brittany, or anyone else to choose your path for you. Don't look at singing as an anchor of your past, but instead the bright lights of your future. Someday, when you are staring in your own play, you'll finally be able to rub in their faces that you turned out to be a successful and incredible woman, while they're still living in the past."

I started crying again, but for different reasons this time. It was a thankful and happy cry. "Thank you, Kurt. Thank you for always being here for me."

He grabbed me and pulled me in for a big hug. "You're welcome my little Barbara worshiper, and I have to add that your username makes so much more sense now."

I laughed into his shoulder and pulled away from his embrace, "What do you say we get out of here? Go grab Tina, and do something that doesn't make us want to kill ourselves?"

"That sounds great," Kurt responded. We stood up from the floor and made our way towards the door. "Oh, wait, what happened with Finn?" Kurt asked anxiously.

I sighed, "Oh, just wait until you heard what happened." We left the auditorium as I began my story to go and find Tina.

Thanks to Kurt and my return to singing, I had a new feeling of confidence. And with that confidence, I had never been more determined to take Quinn down and get my man back.

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**Song: "Get it Right" –Glee Cast**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! I hope everyone has had a fabulous week! My week hasn't exactly been the best, but a new chapter is a great way to lift my spirits!**

**I already know how I want to end the story, but I'm trying to think of things to happen between now and the ending, so if you guys would be kind enough to do so, leave a comment after you finish reading telling me what you would like to see happen, and I'll try my best to fit it in somewhere!**

**Okay, on with the story**

**Chapter Eleven, enjoy**

* * *

"Relax, Rachel, you are by far the most qualified candidate of them all," Kurt said, standing behind the chair I was occupying. "You're going to get in without any troubles. I'm sure of it."

"Do you really think so?" I questioned, the computer mouse hovering over the golden submit box on the computer screen.

"Without a doubt," Tina said before Kurt could speak. "Just submit your application already! The sooner you do, the sooner you'll get your results back."

I closed my eyes and held my breath, pressing down on the mouse clicker with force. My eyes opened once more as I released the mouse, reading that my application had been sent in. I heard Tina and Kurt clapping from behind me.

"This is so exciting," Tina gushed. "It's a shame though, if you get accepted you'll be gone for the majority of the summer."

"And what if Finn gets in to?" Kurt asked. "Finn and Rachel sittin' in New York, K-I-S-"

"Shut up!" I scolded him.

"Yeah, Kurt," Tina added in. "She still has to tell him about the little affair first."

"And stop Quinn from ruining the poor boy's life. If he believes her that she's Cinderella, I think I might go insane. Who in their right mind would ever believe Quinn about something like that?"

"Kurt, when Finn and I chatted online, I told him that I act nothing like myself in the real world. So, logically, Cinderella could be anyone," I told him. "Why wouldn't he believe her? Or anyone else, for that matter."

"This arrangement really sucks," Tina complained. "What ever happened to meeting someone the old fashioned way? I swear, technology does more harm than good."

"Well, not necessarily. If it wasn't for technology, Finn and I would have never met in the first place. And, if it wasn't for our secret online relationship, he would have gone to the dance with Quinn. In each scenario, Quinn somehow still ends up on top," I replied.

"Speaking of the dance, how does this all even work out?" Kurt asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's look at it from Finn's point of view. You've got this insanely awesome girl chatting with you frequently online, and you're totally head over heels for the girl, when suddenly the evil ice queen asks you to the dance. Sure, the ice queen's good looking and popular, but you've got the super cool internet girl meeting you at the dance. You then go to the dance, meet internet girl, spend the entire night talking, and then a few days later find out that the girl is the previously mentioned ice queen. How does that even work? Nothing even adds up."

"Actually, it could work," I responded. "Maybe Quinn was just pretending to see if her future prince charming would cheat on her with the popular prince charming, and when she was sure he was a good guy she reveals the truth. And besides, Quinn said she never even saw Finn at the dance, so he has no real proof that she isn't Cinderella."

"She's got a point," Tina sadly admitted.

"I suppose," Kurt sighed, "but there still is a chance he'll see right through her evil little desperate attack and come back to you in a heart beat."

"Let's not get too carried away, Kurt," I said, motioning for him to slow down. "Why don't we talk about something else for a change? Like you and Blaine for example!"

"No, come on, we talk about me and Blaine all the time now! What about Mike and Tina? I'm sure their lives are as exciting as ever!" Kurt said, turning to Tina, hoping she'd change the subject.

"Well, we went out to dinner with his mom the other day," Tina told us. "And then when we got back I helped him wash his car…"

I immediately turned back to Kurt, "So, you and Blaine…"

He rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry to disappoint you ladies, but nothing has really happened between the two of us."

"You mean you haven't even talked to him in the past few days?" I asked him. At least I made an effort to communicate with Finn.

"We are partners for an English project, but that's about it," Kurt said to us, brushing it off like it was nothing.

"Project partners!" Tina and I both squealed. We looked at each other and laughed some more.

"Is this a strictly in-school project, or an intimate at-home project?" Tina asked, raising her eye brows and giving Kurt the classic smirk.

"If you must know, the project is to be done at home," Kurt said, making Tina and I smile widely. "But, before you get too excited, for the time being Blaine and I are friends. Just friends, and I have no idea what might be happening in the future."

Tina and I exchanged looks, and at the same time we both exclaimed, "He's so in love with you!"

"You two are going to be together forever," I gushed, smiling widely.

Tina pulled out her smart phone and got on the internet, "Does he have a profile online? This calls for major profile stalking!"

"I'm not sure," Kurt replied. "But go ahead and check." Tina nodded and began typing furiously on the screen of her phone.

"So, Kurt," I started. "Tell me more about this project. What will the two of you be doing?"

"Don't get too excited," Kurt replied. "We just have to create some society of our own and give it a name and stuff. It's not exactly the most exciting thing, but it's an excuse to spend some time with Blaine."

I raised my eye brows. "An excuse? Is this you finally admitting that you have a thing for Blaine?

"I admit that he's attractive and that the two of us happen to have a lot in common, but that's as far as I will go," Kurt said, crossing his arms.

"Oh, come on, Ku-"

"Rachel," Tina interrupted my sentence.

"What? Did you find a profile for Blaine?" I asked her in anticipation.

She shook her head, "No, but you might want to come and see this." She had a worried look in her eyes and she spoke, alarming me of what could possibly be on the screen of her phone. She held out the device for me to see the screen, and I looked at the picture that she had pulled up.

The photo's caption read "Every Cinderella needs her Prince Charming," and the attachment had a picture of Finn and Quinn together in the halls of McKinley High smiling side by side as his arm was comfortably draped around her waist. Quinn had posted the picture only a few minutes ago and it already had nearly a dozen comments. I read the comments in order as the appeared on the screen. "You two are adorable together!", "You're Cinderella dress was flawless, good job girl!", and "Head cheerleader and Quarterback? It's fate!". The rest were similar to the first few, congratulating them and saying how cute they were. Kurt took the phone from my hands and observed the screen, making a gagging noise as soon as he was finished with the post.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," Tina commented. "I know you really liked him."

"Their relationship isn't even real!" Kurt exclaimed. "She's just using him! It's sick."

"It won't last long," I commented. "Sure, he believes her now, and Quinn is ay ease, but it won't last long at all. I told Finn about my childhood, my dreams, and my singing. Quinn will never have that, and will never be able to talk about it again. Same goes for Finn. He told me things he said he had never told anyone else before. Their conversations will be dull and lifeless." I sat down on Kurt's bed next to Tina. "And there is the little fact that she doesn't have my email address. What happens when he communicates with her? Nothing."

"How long _do_ you think the little love affair will last?" Kurt asked me.

"That's hard to say," I replied. "It depends on how good of an actor Quinn is."

"So… a few days," Kurt joked.

I laughed and rolled my eyes, "We'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

I returned home from the sleepover at Kurt's house around 4 in the evening the next day. Kurt, Tina, and I had wasted the day away watching Broadway classics and stalking Quinn's online profile, making comments about all of her pictures. Most of her pictures were of her standing in front of her mirror in various poses showing off her Cheerios uniform. Many of them included Santana or Brittany, posing ridiculously for the camera. I couldn't forget out how she managed to get so many "likes" on each photo. They were all the same, I would have told her to get a life!

As I entered the house, the first thing I noticed was a very tall boy standing near the foot of the stairs, looking slightly bored. I approached the boy slowly, wondering what he was doing at my house.

"Finn?" I asked, grasping his attention immediately. He looked in my direction and smiled.

"Hey, Rachel," he smiled wider. "What are you doing here?"

I tilted my head a bit to the side. "Well, I do kind of live here…"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Right, sorry. Dumb question." His cheeks slowly reddened, and he smiled an adorable half smile.

"I suppose I should be the one asking you what you are doing here," I said to him, admiring the dimples the appeared on his cheeks.

"Oh, I'm just waiting on Quinn. We're supposed to be hanging out today, and she's finishing getting ready," he replied.

My smile faltered, but I quickly recomposed myself, smiling again. "Yeah, I saw that you found your Cinderella. Was she everything that you hoped she would be?" I hoped he wouldn't say yes and begin gushing about how amazing she was.

He exhaled deeply, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he thought of something to say. "She's not at all what I expected, and it's weird how things played out. I mean, she nags me to go to the dance with her, and then it turns out that she was my date anyway. And her attitude inside school is the exact opposite of the girl I met online."

I wanted to laugh at the predictability of what he just said. "Are you second guessing the whole Cinderella thing?"

"No," he shook his head. "I didn't talk to the girl online for very long, but she was special, and I think I might have fallen in love with her. I know that girl is somewhere inside of Quinn, and I am determined to get it out of her."

"I- in- in love?" I stammered, making sure I heard her correctly.

"Yeah, it's crazy right?" He chuckled nervously. "I don't know how to explain it. She was the first girl who ever really understood me, and it's nice to feel appreciated."

"I have a feeling that she feels the same way about you, Finn," I said, taking a step closer to him.

He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of someone coming down the stairs.

"Finn? I'm ready to go," Quinn's voice came from the staircase, and I backed away from Finn. Quinn had _terrible _timing! As Quinn finished her decent, she noticed me in the room as well. I waited for her to start yelling, but the abuse never came. Instead I saw her smiling brightly. "How was your sleepover, Rachel?" I was shocked, why was she being nice to me?

"Umm, it was good…?" I replied cautiously.

"Great," she smiled. She wrapped her arm around Finn's and looked up his tall frame. "Are you ready to go?" I rolled my eyes as I figured it out. It was all an act to impress Finn.

Finn smiled down at her, "Sure thing." I hated the fact that her act was actually working.

They waved goodbye and headed out the door. I watched as Finn opened the car door for Quinn, and then got into the car. The car engine came to life, and the car backed down the driveway. I watched as Finn drove off with the lying manipulative girl he _thought _he was in love with.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Keep up the great reviews!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy Saturday!**

**Just a quick thanks to the suggestions I received, I really liked the ideas and I plan on fitting the into the story soon. They won't be in this chapter, but hopefully I'll put them into action in the next one.**

**Oh, and glee last night? I've never seen anything sweeter/ sadder than Rachel's tattoo. I don't think they could have played that more perfect.**

**Anyhow, here is the magnificent chapter twelve :D enjoy!**

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I glanced at the clock for the millionth time. _9:17 PM._ I forced myself to look away and to stop focusing on Finn and Quinn. Quinn played it perfectly. She had him in the palm of her hand, and he thought he was in love with _her._ In love? For the first time that evening, his words finally sunk in. Sure, I knew exactly who he was talking about, even if he didn't, but I never took the time to really process his words.

He _loved _me.

He loved _me._

The girl who lived life in the shadows won the heart of Finn Hudson. And now as far as he's concerned, Quinn's the girl who swooped in and stole his heart. My eyes gradually moved back to the clock. _9:21 PM. _What could they possibly be doing? …Never mind, I actually don't want to know what they might be up to. Quinn may be cold- hearted and the Queen of Mean, but when it came down to looks, she was stunning, and I don't know of a boy who'd be able to resist her forever. Well, except Kurt.

"I'm sure they'll be home soon," a voice from behind me said softly. I turned around to see Brittany entering the living room and sitting down of the couch next to me. "They just went out for dinner and a movie, I'm sure they'll be back any minute now since the movie ended at 9."

I gave Brittany a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

Brittany scooted closer to me. "I've never told anyone this, but it really sucks to be sisters with Quinn Fabray. I feel trapped, and I can't find a way out. I'm always left behind in her shadows, and everyone only knows me as the sister of Quinn."

"What are you getting at?" I asked her, still very confused.

"I don't thin k you're a bad person, Rachel. In fact, I admire you. You put up with all of Quinn and Sue's crap, and you still end up coming out strong. It's no wonder Finn thinks so highly of you," Brittany said. "I'm as tired as anyone of Quinn getting everything she wants, and I'm especially tired of this relationship with Finn. It was fine when she just wanted him as her date, but now that she's stringing him along, it's not okay anymore. There is no doubt in my mind that he will soon see straight through her little act and start his search up again, but what do you expect to happen after that? You and Finn live happily ever after while Quinn sits at home and just takes it? Rachel, I'm totally rooting for you and Finn in the end, but until you find a way to get out of Quinn's grasp, it's never going to happen."

I shifted around in my seat uncomfortably. "I never really thought about it that way."

Brittany shrugged, "I'm sorry Rachel. Not just for Quinn, but also for myself. I've been realizing lately how horribly you've been treated, and I know that I've been a big contributor to your pain. I shouldn't have let it go on for so long."

"It's not your fault," I replied. "I accept your apology, Brittany, but it's my fault everyone treats me so poorly."

"Don't say that!" Brittany immediately said. "You're great, Rachel."

"Thanks Brittany. And maybe you should start taking your own advice. You don't have to be forced to live in Quinn's shadow. I think that if you start to show this sweet and caring side, you'll see how many people actually care about you. The best person you can be is yourself."

Brittany grinned, "Thanks, Rachel. You're a great sister." She pulled me in for an unexpected hug, which I kindly accepted, wrapping my arms around her as well. Brittany pulled way, "I should probably start on my homework. I'm trying this new thing called actually doing my homework on my own."

"Good for you," I congratulated her. I watched as she stood up from the couch and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

It was nice having someone on my side in this house of terror. Now, of only Quinn would see me as a normal person rather than a disgrace to society trying to overtake her every possession. Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from the front door. Just as Brittany had predicted, I heard Quinn and Finn entering the house from the other room. I couldn't see their position in the foyer, but I was close enough to be able to pick up their conversation.

"I think my letter from that music program will be arriving any day now," Finn said to her, excitement pouring from his voice.

"Music program?" Quinn asked. "What music program?"

"Ummm… the music program I've been telling you about all the time. Remember?" Finn said slowly.

There was silence for a moment before Quinn finally replied. "Right, that program. Sorry, I forgot. I don't know where my head has been lately."

"It's cool," Finn responded.

Even from a room over I could feel the awkward tension between the two. I dared a few steps towards the foyer, and peaked my head around the corner to get a visual of their conversation too.

Finn was glancing down at the watch he was wearing. "I should probably head home. My mom will be wondering where I am."

Quinn took a step towards him, "Do you really have to go?"

He nodded, taking a step towards her too. "Yeah, I have to."

"I've really enjoyed getting to know you in person, Finn," Quinn said. "I'm glad to have the opportunity to spend time with you outside of the computer. You're a great guy, and I'm so lucky to have you in my life." She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down towards her and placing the softest kiss on his lips. I watched in horror as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him, deepening the kiss happily.

It didn't matter what he thought of the real Quinn, he thought they had an incredible past, and he was in love with her.

* * *

I made my way through the school cafeteria on Monday and sat my lunch tray down at the table Tina and Kurt were occupying. They both turned toward me excitedly as soon as I sat down.

"Rachel, guess what?!" Tina exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, mustering up as much as much excitement as I possibly could. I still hadn't told them about he events that occurred over the weekend, so as far as they knew I was still in a pretty good mood about taking down Quinn.

"Things are happening between Kurt and Blaine!" Tina squealed. She turned to Kurt, "Tell her what happened!"

"He asked me out to dinner, that's all," Kurt said nonchalantly.

My eyes widened, "Wait, what? Kurt, he asked you out? This is great news! Where are you guys going?"

"It's just a casual meeting at Breadstix tomorrow night," Kurt said.

"Okay, Kurt that is enough," I crossed my arms. "You can act as cool and collected about this as you want, but we all know you are screaming like a little girl on the inside. So, drop the act and spill it!"

He gave me a stern look for a second before giving in. "Okay, you're right. I am beyond excited! I just don't want to get my hopes up to only be disappointed later on. What if it doesn't work out?"

"But what if it does work out?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, come on Kurt. You're always telling me to believe in myself, and now it's time for you to do the same," I said to him. "You're a good guy Kurt, and you deserve the best. You deserve to love with your whole heart, and Blaine can be your chance."

"I suppose you're right," Kurt said to us.

Tina clapped. "I can see it now. Klaine, together forever!"

"Klaine?" Kurt and I both asked at the same time.

"Yeah, Kurt plus Blaine equals Klaine," Tina explained. "Just like Mika and Tina equals Tike, and… the other one I came up with is Finchel."

"Finchel?" I asked her, "You're combining our names now?" I raised my eye brows in disbelief.

"It's so perfect!" Tina replied. "Just like you and Finn."

"Speaking of Finn and I," I began, readying myself to tell them the events of the weekend, "It looks like his relationship with Quinn is really taking off."

"What do you mean?" Tina asked. "Are they actually a thing now?"

I nodded, "They did spend forever after their date night on Saturday making out by the front door. It's so unfair, she's just stringing him along, and he's standing there thinking that he is in love with her when she actu-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kurt interrupted me. "Did you just say in love with?"

I blushed, "On Friday night he came over and I talked to him for a while, and he was talking about Quinn with me. He said that she was so much different than the girl he met online, but he knew that girl was somewhere deep inside of Quinn, and that he fell in love with that internet girl."

"And the internet girl was you!" Tina exclaimed. "Oh, my gosh, Rachel! This is so exciting! Not the Quinn part, but the love part. There is no way Quinn can compete with true love."

"Yeah, but until Finn sees it, Quinn's the one he loves," I told her, killing her excitement. "Let's change the subject. Every time we bring up the discussion of Finn and I, our moods are killed. Let's just spend this lunch time being happy, okay?"

I was losing it, and I knew that they could tell it was happening. After years of being walked all over and then suddenly having an opportunity of escape was finally getting to me. I needed to reach Finn. Somehow. He needed to know the truth. I needed out of my terrible home environment, but how was I ever going to manage that?

* * *

**Okay, so I'm not a big fan of this chapter, but I needed a chapter to kind of fill in some time and I was having a bit of trouble writing it. But I hope you still liked it! I'll try to update soon!**

**Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow, I've been updating quite a bit lately! I've had a lot of free time over the past few days, but unfortunately the upcoming week is going to be pretty hectic, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. I promise I'll try to make that day as soon as possible.**

**Here's chapter thirteen! Enjoy~~**

* * *

I drove home from school that afternoon a little bit later than usual. I stayed ate to print off a copy of my application progress to the music program in New York. Apparently, my application was in the same state as Finn's. They had received all of my information, but no further progress. This stage must be a long wait. Great.

I pulled onto my street, dreading my arrival time. Only a few more minutes until I get to spend some quality family time with Sue and Quinn.

However, my dread vanished when my house came into view. I saw Finn's car parked in the street in front of my house, and I noticed Finn walking out the front door _without _Quinn. He must just be leaving, and now I have the perfect opportunity to talk to him alone.

I drove into the driveway, smiling at him as I passed him. As his lips curved upward, the sight of his lips pressed against Quinn's flashed in my head. I shook it away. I can't let Quinn get into my head even when she's not around. I put the car in park and quickly exited, offering Finn another friendly smile.

"Hey," he said, stopping as he came up to my car.

I shut the door of the car and gripped my school supplies tighter in my arms. "Hey! What are you doing here?" _Stupid question. Obvious answer._

He looked back at the house. "I was just dropping Quinn off from school." _Of course. _"I can't stay long though. My mom wants to have a family dinner together."

I smiled, knowing how much Finn cared about his mother. "I won't keep you then if you need to go," I said to him. "It was nice seeing you, Finn." I began to walk back towards the house until Finn called to stop me. I turned around to face him again, "Yeah?"

He grabbed the paper that was in the bottom of the stack in my arms, pulling it out of my grasp. "Is this an application for the music camp at NYU?" He glanced the paper up and down, "I applied here too. I haven't gotten an acceptance yet, but at least I know of someone else who applied."

"Yeah, I sent in my application a few days ago actually. I know it's a little late, but I kind of just got back into singing," I replied.

He sent me a look. "You know, I didn't know you were the singing type. Have you been doing it for long?"

I took this as a chance to try to get him to recall the events of the dance. I told Finn all about my musical journey at the dance, and _hopefully_ he'll remember. "I used to, but I stopped. Singing reminded me too much of my past, but I ended up meeting someone really inspiring, and I finally had the courage to start singing again."

He looked a bit skeptical. "That sounds a lot like Quinn's story. You guys have a lot more in common than you think. I've never heard Quinn sing, but I know she loves to, she told me all about it at the masquerade dance." He smiled for a moment, lost in a trance, before coming back to reality. "It's really neat that you like to sing though. You're cool, Rachel."

"Thanks," I responded gratefully. "Not many people see me that way, you know."

He shook his head, "Don't listen to them. They don't mean anything." We shared a smile. "I suppose I should get going. It was really nice talking to you Rachel."

"Yeah, you too," I continued to smile up at him. As he started to walk away I called his name to get his attention. As he turned around I motioned towards his hands.

He glanced down at his hands that were holding my NYU application. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." He handed me the paper. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yep, see you tomorrow." I walked up to the front porch and turned around to wait for him to leave before I walked inside. I waved goodbye as he drove away, and smiled as he waved back before speeding off down the road. I turned around and walked inside, preparing myself to deal with Sue, Quinn, or anything other obstacle I might face on the way to my bedroom. However, as I made my way towards my bedroom none of the usual obstacles came towards me. I noticed that Quinn's bedroom door was shut, and I heard Brittany's voice come through the hallway. She was probably on the phone or something. I had no idea where Sue was. I didn't hear her loud booming voice coming from anywhere in the house.

…Not that I'm complaining or anything.

I continued my path to my bedroom, waking up the stairs to the attic. As soon as I reached my bedroom I shut the door behind me. I glanced down at my NYU application and smiled. Creases were spread around the sides of the paper from where Finn had been holding the paper.

You're cool, Rachel.

I leaned back against the closed door and let out a long deep breath as I looked the paper over. I allowed my mind to picture I summer filled with nothing but Finn and I. With a Finn that knew who I was and had no feelings towards Quinn, of course.

I realized that I reached a stopping point in my little relationship with Finn. Truthfully, I've never been in a serious relationship. I don't know what the signs are, or go to act, or even how to initiate the relationship in the first place. I needed help.

I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket and searched through my contacts. Once I got to the _T_ section I clicked on Tina's contact and pressed the call button. Tina and Mike have been together for a little over a year, so Tina would be the perfect person to call. She was always good at these types of things, much better than Kurt for that matter.

After a few rings, Tina picked up the phone. "Hey, Rachel! What's up?" she said happily.

"Hey, Tina," I replied. "I kind of need some help with something, and I think you're the only one who can help me."

"Is everything okay?" Tina asked, sounding alarmed. "Did something happen?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that," I immediately said, calming her down.

"Oh, okay, good! So, what do you need help with?" Tina asked.

"Well, I was talking to Finn not to long ago, a-"

"Wait! You were talking to Finn?" Tina asked, sounding extremely excited. Her words were coming out quickly in one jumbled mess from her excitement. "What happened? Where did you see him?"

"He was at my house dropping Quinn off, nothing too awfully exciting, but before he left we had some time to talk," I told her.

"How did that go?" Tina asked.

"As well as it goes every other time I talk to him," I responded. "Tina, it's different when I talk to him. I'm so at ease, and everything is so… perfect. He saw my NYU application that I printed off at school, and we talked about music and it was so… _nice._ He understands me, and it's great to have someone to talk to other than you and Kurt. I love you and Kurt, but it's nice to have someone on the-"

"Outside?" Tina finished for me.

"Yeah."

"I totally get it," Tina said. "Sometimes it's nice to talk to someone who is going to give you a fresh opinion."

"Yeah," I repeated. "But what I wanted to talk to you about…"

"You did say you needed some advice."

"I did. I do," I replied, pausing to formulate my words. "The things is… I've never been in a relationship before. I know that's not really something to stress about, but I'm so emotionally unaware, I'm having troubles seeing signs that everyone else seems to pick up on so easily. If things do end up working out between Finn and I, I don't even know what to do after that. Finn's the quarterback, he probably has it all figured out. And here I am, being so clueless about everything. How am I even going to begin to be able to handle this?"

Tina chuckled lightly on the other end of the line. "Rachel, calm down. Trust me when I say everything is going to work out. It's okay that you're nervous about this. Everyone is nervous about relationships at some point. You know, every relationship is different. They all start differently, depending on the people. You may be nervous now, but trust me, when it actually happens it will be so simple. You spend time together, and the rest just falls into place with time."

"Is it really that easy?"

"Well, there will be a few bumps in the road, but if two people really care about each other, the relationship comes naturally," Tina replied. "I hope I'm helping you with this."

"Yes, yes you are, actually," I responded. "Thanks Tina, for all the help."

"You're welcome," Tina said. "And good luck with Finn. Sure, he's with Quinn now, but you're the one he loves, and we'll be counting down the days until Quinn's lies become impossible for Quinn to keep up with."

"Hopefully soon," I replied. "Anyway, I'll let you go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Rachel," Tina said before hanging up the phone.

I hit the "end call" button on my phone and sat down on the edge of my bed. I closed my eyes and let myself think of the many possibilities of my future. For once, my future was looking bright.

* * *

"So, Kurt, are you excited for tonight?" I asked Kurt the next morning at school. He, Tina, and I were all gathered in the hallway before class started. Tonight was his date night with Blaine, and I knew he was beyond excited. Kurt's cheeks turned a red color and he looked down at the floor.

"Yeah," he replied. "We spent the majority of the evening yesterday texting. He is so incredible. Tina, I cannot thank you enough for nagging me into giving this this with Blaine a chance."

Tina gave a small bow and flipped her hair, "I try!"

Kurt gripped his book bag tighter around his shoulders, "I almost forgot! I told Blaine that I would meet him before class today. I'll see you two fabulous ladies later!" Kurt ran off down the hallway towards his first class.

Tina turned towards me then, "So, are you okay with everything? Finn wise?"

"Yeah, I think I'm ready for it. For everything."

Tina arched an eyebrow, "Even ready to take down Quinn?"

I bit my bottom lip, "Well, maybe not so ready for that part, but I'm definitely ready for the rest."

Tina smiled, "That's my girl!" We both shared a laugh. "I guess I should follow Kurt's example and head to class. I have a big test today."

"Good luck with your test!" I said to her.

"Good luck with your man!" Tina called back as she began to walk towards her class.

I laughed softly and turned around, intending to walk to my own class, but a voice stopped me.

"Hey, Man hands. Wait up."

I turned around again and came face to face with Quinn. "Can I help you?" I asked her, a little annoyed that she kept showing up randomly to insult me time after time.

"I want to know what you did to _my _boyfriend," she said, crossing her arms.

"Quinn, I have no idea what you are talking about."

Quinn scoffed. "You know what? I don't really know what I'm talking about either. All I know if that yesterday Finn was totally in to _me_ and was jumping at every opportunity to taste my irresistible lips, and now all he can talk about is you and your musical future. Now, I'm going to ask you this one more time. What did you do to my boyfriend?"

"He saw my application to a music program and we talked about it. It's not my fault he likes me for something rather than the looks you work so hard to perfect because your soul is too empty and cold to be presentable."

I stood my ground as Quinn's eyes filled with fire and hatred. I wasn't quite sure where my new found confidence came from, but I was actually standing up to Quinn!

"Berry, you are such a freak!" Quinn nearly screamed. "I don't care what the two of you share. Finn is mine, and he actually likes me. It wouldn't matter if he did know the truth, he would take one look at you and feel the need to vomit all over your disgusting animal sweaters."

"My animal sweaters are more presentable then your stupid uniform. At least I am confident enough to express myself rather than hide behind some messed up cheerleading team that has to put people down in order to feel the slightest amount of self respect."

"I have plenty self respect! And at least I have talent! I bet your singing is enough scratching sound to break a mirror, oh wait, I'm sure your face could do that on it's own. Face it Rachel. I'm pretty, you're ugly. I'm smart, you're dumb. I'm p-"

_"Excuse me?"_

Quinn froze in the middle of her sentence, and we both looked to see who had interrupted our argument. Quinn sucked in a breath, "Finn."

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**Oooooo, cliffy :D**

**Don't hate me too much!**

**REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I want to start off by saying that I got a ton of reviews on the last chapter and I want to thank you all for all the support. I LOVE reviews and they are totally my inspiration for continuing my stories. You guys are seriously the best and I can't thank you enough.**

**Okay, now that I have tortured you all with the wait after my wonderful cliffhanger, I suppose you would like it if I continued on with the story.**

**Here is chapter fourteen, enjoy!**

* * *

Quinn immediately jumped into her "Finn mode," going from the evil ice Queen to this incredibly sweet, fluffy, and considerate Quinn. I was a little amazed at her ability to change so quickly. I watched as all the rage disappeared from her body as she tried to cover up for the events Finn just saw.

Finn had impeccable timing, hopefully he wasn't too late. If he had arrived early enough he would have easily heard valuable information that Quinn was so desperate for him not to find out. Even if he did only catch the tail end of the fight, he would still have many things to question Quinn on. Regardless of what he did or did not hear, I was eagerly anticipating his angry reactions to Quinn's tone with me.

Quinn made her way to Finn, taking small yet quick steps. She gently wrapped her hand around his wrist and gave him the sweetest smile. She allowed her hand to lightly run up and down his arm as if to show him how affectionate he was towards him.

"Wh- what are you doing here, Finn?" she asked innocently. "I wasn't expecting to see you until lunch."

Finn shook her hand from his arm and glanced between Quinn and I, his eyes eventually landing on Quinn. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," Quinn said dismissively. "Rachel and I are sisters! We disagree all the time, but we love each other anyways." She gave me a stern look, "Right, Rachel?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but I was quickly cut off by Finn.

"Don't answer that, Rachel," Finn said. His eyes returned to Quinn, and I couldn't wait for him to explode. However, to my surprise, he didn't seem angry at all. It seemed like screaming at Quinn was the last thing on his mind. He looked… sad. His eyes seemed to be filled with confusion and disappointment. He shook his head lightly, "I don't understand. I don't even know you Quinn! What happened to that girl I met in the chat rooms not to long ago? What happened to the sweet and understanding girl I fell in love with?"

"Finn, no, she's still here! It's still me, and I love you too! Please, hear me out," Quinn pleaded.

He shook his head again, "Just leave me alone, Quinn." He started to back away from us.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Quinn asked, actual tears filling her eyes, and I couldn't tell if she was actually upset or if she was a really good actress.

"I need some time to think," he said to Quinn. "Until then just leave me alone, okay?" He turned around and walked away, leaving Quinn and I alone once more.

As soon as Finn was completely out of sight, Quinn slowly turned around to face me. As she made her full turn, I could see her anger level rising, and I could practically feel the blood boiling in her veins. I held my breath as Quinn lunged towards me and shoved me into the nearest locker. The echo could be heard all the way down the hall and the sudden impact caused pain to shoot throughout my body.

"You better hope he forgive me, Rachel Berry, or I swear I will end you. I won't stop until I know I have taken every last shred of hope away from you." She gave me one last shove before storming off down the hallway, he pony-tail swinging with every step.

I allowed myself to breathe again as I wrapped my arms around my aching torso. What had I gotten myself into?

* * *

As the school day went on, I constantly looking out for Quinn. If I knew her as well as I thought I did, her attacks could be very unpredictable. She lunges at you when you least expect it, and she refuses to stop until she's scarred you emotionally.

I know, I know, I'm making her sound like some murderous witch, but am I really that far off from the truth? I don't regret anything I said to her earlier. She insists on tearing others down to feel good about herself, and it's a sick way of living.

When I entered the cafeteria, I was bombarded by Kurt and Tina suddenly, catching my already restless body off guard. I nearly jumped out of my skin as the linked arms with me. The both gave me an alarmed look and gave me a bit of breathing room as I tried to catch my breath.

"What's gotten into you, Rachel?" Tina asked me.

"Do you think she's heard yet?" Kurt asked Tina as if I wasn't even standing between them. I would have spoken up, but I was still a little shaken up.

"Probably, I'm pretty sure the whole school has heard by now!" Tina said back to him.

"Heard what?" I choked out, and they both looked at me. We sat down at our usual table and got out the lunches we had packed ourselves. None of us were a fan of the school lunches, who is?

"Rumor has it," Tina began, "that the I've-never-been-dumped drama queen and your prince charming might be splitsville. I heard that they got into the huge argument and she even slapped the poor guy at one point!"

"No, no, Tina darling. That's not at all what I heard. Apparently she cheated on him and he called the whole thing off on the spot," Kurt replied.

"Really? Who did you hear that from?" Tina asked.

"Mercedes," Kurt told her. "So it must be true. 'Cedes has always had a ke-"

I cleared my throat to get their attention. I couldn't watch this argument go on for any longer. "Would it help if I told you that both of you are wrong?"

"Really? And what did you hear?" Kurt asked me.

"Nothing considering I was there when it happened," I replied. "Quinn came up to me right after you two left to give me the daily rant. Apparently Finn is really impressed with my musical plans and was telling Quinn all about it. She started threatening my and stuff, and Finn chose that exact moment to come in on our conversation."

"Seriously?" Tina asked. "What were you guys saying?"

"Well, at one point she definitely gave away enough information to prove she isn't Cinderella, but I don't think he heard that considering he didn't break up with her on the spot. But she was saying some terrible things when Finn spoke up. He finally brought up the large differences between Quinn and his Cinderella girl and said he needed some time to figure things out, whatever that means."

"Wait, so he didn't break up with her?" Kurt asked me.

I shook my head, "Nope. Which in a way is a blessing for me." I noticed their confused looks. "I've always shaken off Quinn's insults and threats because they are mediocre and immature, but when she was yelling at me this morning… I think she means it this time. She said that if Finn breaks up with her she will end me."

"Rachel, Quinn says that to you all the time. It's almost on a daily basis now. Don't let her get to you," Tina offered gently.

"Did I mention the fact that she pushed me into a locker? I think I have a bruise the size of Texas tattooed on my back," I said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, she hurt you?" Kurt asked. "Rachel, that is not okay. You have to tell someone. Quinn could get into serious trouble for this."

"How?" I replied. "She got all the faculty members on her side as well as the majority of the student body. She'll win every war."

"I agree with Kurt, Rachel," Tina said. "Physical harm is taking it a step too far."

"Involving the authority will just fuel Quinn's fire," I admitted. "I need to handle this, and whatever else Quinn throws my way. She's pushed me around for as long as I can remember, and I've had enough. I need to take her down on my own."

"Fine," Kurt gave in, "but just know that we will be with you every step of the way." He glanced at a nodding Tina.

I took a bite out of the sandwich I prepared earlier for myself. Quinn was ready for an attack, and so was I.

* * *

It didn't take long. Rumors in high school spread like wild-fire. The news of Finn and Quinn's break up was in everyone's ear by the end of the day. Just like Tina and Kurt I heard various reasons from different people, but I knew they weren't true. I got the real story from Brittany during free period. Just as we had predicted, he put the pieces together and figured Quinn wasn't Cinderella. Brittany was in the same room when Finn broke the news to Quinn and she said that he looked too upset for words. He was broken hearted at the fact that the girl he thought he was in love with was lying to him the entire duration of their relationship. Every text, touch, and kiss was a lie. Brittany told me that Quinn tried desperately to convince him she really was Cinderella, but the damage was already done. I told Brittany about what Quinn said to me earlier that same day, but Brittany shocked me by saying that Quinn never mentioned anything about me.

Brittany was glad to tell me that Finn's hunt for Cinderella was back on, and he was an anxious as ever to find the girl he loved. I was a bit upset that he was unable to finish putting the puzzle together, but I'm confident he'll figure it out eventually. I mean, haven't I given him enough little hints?

I said goodbye to Brittany after our little chat and thanked her for the information. I kept my eye out for Quinn the rest of the day, but she still never came into sight. I didn't even see her hanging around her cheerleading friends or with any of the foot ball players. On my way home, I walked past the Cheerios practice, but I didn't spot her. Something was going on, and I didn't like it one bit.

* * *

I arrived home the afternoon and saw Quinn's car parked in front of the house. Maybe she came home early. …Hopefully she _just _came home early because she felt like it. Not for plotting reasons or anything like that.

I cautiously walked into the house, and found it looking as normal as ever. The scent of Quinn's perfume was coming from the living room, and I followed the scent, preparing myself for the unknown.

As soon as I entered the living room Quinn greeted me with a warm smile. She closed the book she was reading and looked up at me. "Good afternoon, Rachel. Did you have a nice day at school?"

"Ummm," I said in confusion, "yeah, it was great."

"That's good," Quinn replied. She opened her book again and continued reading as if nothing had happened.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her, sitting down on the chair opposite from her.

She glanced up from her book, "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, it's just that earlier today yo-"

_"Rachel!"_

Sue's voice came echoing into the room as she stormed in. She began waving a tattered piece of paper in my face so fast I couldn't even read it to see what it was. "What on earth is this?"

She slowed down the movements enough to allow me to read the paper, and my jaw nearly dropped when I took a look at the paper. I noticed Quinn smirk evilly from the other side of the room. It couldn't believe it.

Sue threw the paper, which happened to be my NYU application I left in my room yesterday, onto my lap. "What were you thinking? You could just pack up and leave next summer? You have responsibilities here, Rachel, and I will not allow this kind of behavior."

I couldn't believe Quinn would stoop low enough and destroy the most important thing in my life. _Music._

"I will not stand for this," Sue yelled in my face. "Haven't you learned how things work around here? I own you Rachel Berry whether you like it or not, and it's about time you start accepting that."

I felt tears coming into my eyes. This could not be happening. My music. My future career. My summer with Finn was being taken away. Quinn closed her book and arched an eyebrow as if to make sure I knew she would always win every battle. I stood up from my seat and grabbed my application. All I wanted to do was head up to my bedroom and cry. Cry everything away and dream of a happier time. A happier place. A place where I could finally have my happily ever after.

* * *

**This story is making me sad!**

**Keep up the awesome reviews!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm sending a major apology your way regarding this story. For some reason, I TOTALLY forgot about the fact that Rachel lost her cell phone that night at the dance! It never crossed my mind as was writing the story and I happened to think of it earlier today. So, I am going to request that from here on out, you just forget or ignore any time I had Rachel use her cell phone in the past. Thanks!**

**I think you'll be glad to know I have the rest of the story completely planned out from here on out. I finally came up with a satisfying ending! After debating many possibilities I finally decided on one, and hopefully I'll be able to have them published soon. I know I can't update tomorrow, but I hope to a bunch this weekend!**

**Okay, now that I have bothered you enough, I'll get on with the story! Thank you to those of you that actually read my rants at the beginning of each chapter!**

**Chapter Fifteen:**

* * *

**_A FEW HOURS LATER_**

The rain was coming down hard. I could barely see out of the front windshield of my car. It didn't help that the darkness of the night sky and my watery eyes were also impairing my vision at the same time.

I had the volume of the radio on high to keep my head clear. It always helped when I couldn't even hear my own thoughts. It had been an emotional and life-changing last couple hours, and I was finally feeling something I hadn't felt in a long time. _Freedom._

My adrenaline was still pumping through my veins as I pulled onto a familiar street. I scanned the houses until I spotted Kurt's house. I parked in his driveway and exited the car before I walked up to his front door. I knocked on the door gingerly and wrapped my arms around my body. The wind blew a few stray rain drops onto the porch, soaking my ankles.

Burt, Kurt's father, opened the door a moment later, taking in my condition. "Rachel," he began, "What are you doing out there? Get in here!" He opened the door wider and ushered me inside. He walked to the foot of the steps and yelled, "Kurt, Rachel's here!" He came back over to me and looked at me from head to toe. "Is everything okay, Rachel? What on earth were you doing out there in these conditions?"

"It's a long story, Mr. Hummel, but I have a favor to ask you," I replied. I opened my mouth to plead my case, but stopped when Kurt came running down the stairs.

"Rachel! What are you doing here? You're soaked! What's going on?" He practically yelled all at once. He ran to the bathroom that was down the hall and brought me back a towel to dry off with.

I took the towel gratefully and began scrunching my hair in the towel. "Mr. Hummel, Kurt, I am about to ask you something I have no right to ask, and I completely understand if you decline."

"Rachel, what's going on?" Kurt asked, sounding very concerned. His eyes were filled with worry and I had never felt so cared for.

"Quinn got her revenge," I said. I was thankful that Kurt told his dad about my NYU application a few days ago so I didn't have to give the whole back story. "She told Sue about NYU."

"What did Sue say?" Kurt asked, inching closer to me.

"What do you think she said, Kurt? We all knew she would never let me leave the house for the summer! I'm her slave and she said she was forbidding me from leaving to go to NYU this summer," I told them. "She said she owns me, and she's right. She does and as long as I'm with her she makes the rules."

"That's so unfair!" Kurt protested. He gave me and his dad both a look of disbelief.

"I know. I started crying and all I wanted to do was go up to my bedroom and never leave. However, Sue stopped me and started giving me all these chores to do in punishment for trying to leave her for the summer. They were ridiculous! As she was talking the anger just kept building up inside of me, and I told her no. No, I wasn't going to do her chores."

"Wait, you stood up to her?" Kurt asked. "What did she do?"

"She told me that as long as I lived with her I was to do anything she said. So, I went up to my bedroom and packed my things," I said. "It's all in my car."

"Yo- you left?" Kurt asked. "You seriously left?"

"I can't live there anymore. She's toxic and she's killing everything that makes me happy. I had to leave and I did. The only things is… I have nowhere to go and I w-"

"Rachel," Burt interrupted me, "Say no more. We have a guest room with your name on it."

"Really?" I asked thankfully. "Thank you so much Mr. Hummel. This means so much to me, and I promise I'll try to get things worked out as soon as possible."

"Rachel, that's not necessary. You're practically family, you can stay as long as you want," Burt replied.

Kurt started jumping up and down, "We're going to be roommates! This is so exciting!" He ran to the hall closet and grabbed a few umbrellas from inside. "Let's go an get your things!" He popped his umbrella open and ran out the front door and motioned for me to follow him to the car. I gave Mr. Hummel a smile before following Kurt out into the rain. We carried all of my boxes back into my new, but temporary home.

* * *

After I was settled into the Hummel household, Kurt and I decided to watch a movie before we went to bed. We sat on the couch in the living room to watch the movie, but both of us were too distracted to even watch.

"So, what about your NYU application?" Kurt suddenly asked about halfway through the movie. "Does this mean it's back on? Sue can't take it away from you now, you doing live with her anymore!"

"Yes, but my acceptance will be delivered to the house. She'll see it first and rip it to shreds. I'll never know if I got in or not," I replied.

"That's not even fair!" Kurt exclaimed. "Can't you call and change the address?"

"It's too late. They've already started sending the letters out. They should be arriving any day now."

"That's so stupid. Don't they have online accounts for you guys or something? I mean, what if a letter gets lost in the mail or something like that? They have to have an alternative."

I shook my head. "Nope. I don't know why, but they only contact through mail."

"I'm sorry, Rachel," Kurt finally said after a moment of silence. "I know stepping back into singing wasn't easy for you, and I know you really wanted this."

"I have my whole life to sing. Maybe this is a sign that I need to wait a little longer, and really find myself," I responded.

"Just promise me that you won't give up," Kurt said to me. "You're too talented to not share your gift with the world."

"I promise," I said with a smile, "and I also promise to give you a front row seat at my first show."

"Deal!" Kurt exclaimed, and we both shared a laugh. It was in that moment that I knew moving out was the best decision I had ever made.

* * *

Kurt drove me to school the next morning seeing as it was pointless for us to take two cars to go to the same destinations. We spent the entire ride singing along to our favorite show tunes and laughing whenever one of us would scream out our favorite lines. It was times like these that I was extremely grateful to have such a wonderful best friend. We had been together through thick and thin and I knew we would be best friends forever.

We arrived to school a little later than usual because we spent a little too much time goofing off during breakfast this morning. (What do you expect? Anything can happen when you live with your best friend!) We stopped at each of our lockers and took out the necessary materials for the school day. Kurt was telling me all about how he and Blaine were now officially a couple and he was reading me some of the texts he and Blaine exchanged last night before he finally fell asleep.

I heard a laugh from down the hallway and I looked away from Kurt to see where the sudden noise was coming from. A group of cheerleaders had formed, laughing obnoxiously for the whole school to hear. They twirled their hair around their fingers as they chatted happily and laughed some more. Their laughter suddenly stopped when someone asked them to move because the cheerleaders were in the way of their locker. I took a better look at the person at their locker and immediately noticed that it was Finn. He put in his locker combination and opened his locker pausing a moment to take a deep breath. Even from a distance I could see dark circles forming under his eyes. He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept a wink last night. Because the computer in my bedroom at Sue's house was an actual computer and not a portable laptop, I had no way of knowing if Finn had messaged me after the Cinderella thing.

Kurt must have noticed that I stopped paying attention to him because he looked in the same direction I was. "Are you going to talk to him?" he asked, pulling me from my daze.

I shook my head, "No. Every time I try to talk to him, something terrible ends up happening. Finn and I obviously aren't meant to be, and it's time I start accepting that. We live in two different worlds, and it probably never would have worked anyway."

"So you're just giving up?" Kurt asked.

"I'm done trying so hard. I've given him so many hints, if he and I are meant to be together, he'll figure it out. It shouldn't be that hard to put the pieces together," I replied. "And besides, if he does put in enough effort to find me, it will show that he really does care about me. I'm done with all these toxic people taking over my life."

"I'm really happy for you Rachel," Kurt said. "It takes a lot of energy to take all the negative energy from your life, and that's exactly what you're doing. I'm glad your making the initiative of getting yourself back on the right track."

"Thanks, Kurt," I replied. "I couldn't have done any of it without you. I wouldn't have had enough courage to meet Finn or doing any of these things without your support. Thank you for always being here for me."

"Awww," Kurt gushed and gave me a huge hug. "What are best friends for?"

* * *

As I was making my way towards the cafeteria at lunch, I ran into Brittany. I wrapped my arms around her and she did the same, she was definitely someone I was going to miss.

"Rachel!" she exclaimed. "It's so weird not seeing you in the morning! I miss you so much!"

"I know, I miss you too," I replied. "But you know that I had to do what I had to do, right?"

"I know," Brittany responded. "Quinn and Mom crossed a line, and I don't blame you for leaving. I would have done the same thing, and I fully support your decisions."

"Thanks Brittany, that means a lot."

She smiled. "Quinn and my mom aren't taking it so well though. Quinn is baffled that you actually stood up for yourself and left, and Mom pretty much destroyed the house because of her rage. You're the first person who has actually stood up for themselves in her presence and she can't stand it."

"Seriously," I asked. I actually made an impact on their lives?

"Yeah, they hate it that you actually got your way," Brittany told me.

"Well, I didn't totally get my way," I replied. "Looks like I'll never know if I got into NYU or not since my acceptance will go to Sue's address and not my current one."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," Brittany said. "I'm sorry Rachel. I know how important it was to you. What are you going to do about your summer with Finn?"

"Nothing," I said. "Every time I try to get somewhere with him it back fires. Like was telling Kurt this morning, I'm done trying with him. He can figure it out on his own. I need to know that he cares enough to be able to find me. I'm done with all these people in my life constantly tearing me down."

"What if he does find out it's you?" Brittany asked. "What would you do?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't thought much about my feeling toward him, but I know that they are very, very strong. I guess we'll have to wait and see if the time comes. Until then I'm just going to focus on me, myself, and I."

"Good for you, Rachel," Brittany told me. "I really hope everything works out for you."

"Me too, Brittany. Me too."

* * *

**Yay! For once Rachel is actually in a good place!**

**What are your thought on the situation with Finn?**

**Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone! **

**-I need to apologize for any errors in this, because it wouldn't load right on the computer, so I have no idea how it will turn out. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy Chapter 16!**

* * *

~ONE WEEL LATER~

Living in the Hummel house was already having a positive effect on my life. Of course, it was wonderful to be living with my best friend, but other factors made it wonderful too. For example, last Friday my car mysteriously broke down. In my old life, I would have had to raise the money to send it to a repair shop myself. In my new and improved life, Mr. Hummel fixed it free of charge. As a thank you, I volunteered to do the family's grocery shopping for him, which was an offer he couldn't refuse.

Now, I am sitting on the couch doing the math homework I was assigned earlier at school that day. Trigonometry seems to be everyone's least favorite topic in math class, but I have no problem with it. Sine is the opposite over the hypotenuse side of a right triangle, Cosine is the adjacent over the hypotenuse side, and tangent is the opposite over the adjacent side. Really, all you have to do is define the correct angle and make a fraction to solve the question. Of course there are other parts making the topic fairly difficult, but it's not that bad if you know what you're doing. (A/N: Sorry guys, I'm kind of a big math nerd…)

I heard the front door open and I watched as Kurt walked into the house. He removed his designer shoes and placed them in the hall closet before coming to join me in the living room. He eyed my math homework was a look of pure disgust, math never was his best subject.

"Where have you been?" I asked him, glancing at the digital satellite clock displayed below the television set. 6:17 PM.

"Blaine and I went to get coffee after school today," Kurt answered. "We go to the Lima Bean after school every Wednesday. Haven't I told you this before?"

"Well, no, considering the two of you have only been dating for a week and a half. I'd hardly call this coffee thing a tradition yet."

"Okay, how about I restart?" Kurt suggested. "Good evening, Rachel Barbara Berry, what a pleasant surprise to see you around here at this time of day. I've just returned from a magnificent coffee date with Blaine. We have decided to make it a Wednesday tradition from here on out since neither of us has any other scheduled weekly Wednesday activities." He paused for a moment before breaking character, "How's that?"

"Much better," I giggled. "Thanks for catching me up on the 'Klaine' relationship. It was very informative."

"You're welcome, Miss Berry," Kurt replied. He plopped down on the couch next to me and crossed his legs to get more comfortable. He let out a breath, "I don't really know what it is, but something about being with Blaine makes me so much happier than I've ever been before. It's almost as if I've been a jigsaw puzzle all this time, and Blaine was the missing piece I've always been searching for. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

I shrugged, "No, not really. I've never been in a real relationship before, but that sounds like a really nice feeling. I'm glad it's finally happening to you."

"Thanks, Rachel, and don't worry. You'll have your happily ever after in no time," Kurt said. "I can feel it. My Kurt senses are tingling!"

I laughed out loud at his last comment, causing him to laugh too. We both silenced as his phone began ringing. I peaked at his phone screen to see who was calling him, and was surprised to see Brittany's name flashing across the screen.

"Why is Brittany calling you?" I asked him. "Does she need to talk to me or something? When did you even get her number?"

He shushed me as he answered the phone and pressed the device to his ear, "Hello?…yeah…okay…" He glanced at me, and quickly stood up from the couch to leave the room. I followed him closely as he went up the stairs towards his bedroom. As soon as we reached his room he walked inside and shut the door in my face. I angrily began pounding on the door, shocked by his behavior. Why would he have to talk to Brittany in private?

I pressed my ear against the closed-door to try to hear a bit of their secret conversation, but I couldn't make out any of the words.

A few minutes later, Kurt exited the room and walked right by me and began to descend the staircase. I followed him all the way back to the living room and when we reached the destination I grabbed his arm to get his attention. When he turned around, I noticed that he was wearing his typical "Kurt" face, and I knew exactly what that meant.

_Kurt had a secret._

"What did Brittany want?" I asked casually.

"Nothing really," he answered nervously. "Just some homework help. She couldn't remember what the… English homework was."

"Really?" I arched an eyebrow. "We didn't have any English homework. And since when does Brittany do her English homework?"

"Maybe she's trying something new?" Kurt suggested. "I try not to question what Brittany does and why she does it." His eyes quickly scanned the room. "How about we watch a movie or something?"

I rolled my eyes, he was obviously trying to distract me. "Sure. Why don't we watch a movie." We settled down on the couch and Kurt began searching through the movies on demand. I kept my eyes glued to him, I really wanted to know that secret.

* * *

On our way to school the next morning, I kept my mouth shut about the secret Kurt was still insisting on keeping from me. I noticed the he kept glancing over at me, as if he was waiting for me to bring it up.

"Are you ready for the history quiz today?" I asked him, breaking the torturous silence.

"Umm… yeah… I think I know the material fairly well," Kurt replied. He continued to glance at me out of the corner of his eye. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm ready for it. We've only been reviewing for it all week," I replied. I looked over at him, "Is everything okay, Kurt? You seem a bit uneasy. Are you sure there isn't anything you'd like to get off your chest?"

He shrugged in his seat.

"Are you positive? You know, it isn't good to keep things to yourself." I asked him.

Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his seat and let out a sigh of relief when we entered the school's parking lot. He parked in a spot close to the school building and we both exited the car. Kurt quickly walked into the school and went straight to his own locker, and I followed him closely behind.

"Kurt, you know I'm going to get this out of you eventually so you might as well start talking now," I eventually said to him and placed my hands on my hips.

Kurt finally turned to me and looked me in the eyes, "I can't tell you, Rachel, but I promise you'll find out soon."

"How soon?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Soon," Kurt replied. "Come on, let's just go and find Tina."

"Okay, but I have to stop by my locker first and get my science text-book," I informed him. On our way to my locker Kurt seemed to ease up, and began to act like himself again. He seemed anxious, for what? I wasn't quite sure, but I decided to keep it for myself. Just before we got to my locker we happened to run into Tina. She smiled and waved as soon as she saw us and came over to join our stroll to my locker.

"Hey guys!" Tina said cheerfully once she reached us. I noticed her give Kurt a strange look, a Kurt nod towards her. I raised my eyebrows towards both of them, but still continued to ignore all the suspicious occurrences that were going on around me.

When we reached my locker, Kurt and Tina both began acting very strange before I put in my locker combination.

"Okay," I said to them, folding my arms across my chest. "I have had enough. Does someone want to tell me what's going on?" I looked at each of them in the eye and tried to be as intimidating as possible.

"I'm not entirely sure what you are talking about, Rachel," Tina began, "but I just remembered that I need to go to history early today so I can study up for this quiz. Kurt, would you care to join me?"

"Yeah," Kurt said to Tina. "I'll be right there, you can just go on ahead without me."

"Okay," Tina replied before she started off down the hallway towards the history classroom leaving Kurt and I alone at my locker.

I grabbed Kurt's wrist to keep him from escaping to run off after Tina. "Kurt, will you please tell me what's going on?"

Kurt removed his wrist from my grasp, "Rachel, all your life you've done nothing but make sure everyone around you is happy. I think it's your time to be happy. You deserve it more than any of us." He started to walk away, but turned around one last time to say, "Good luck." Kurt then walked off down the hallway to catch up with Tina.

I turned around to face my locker once more and I put in my combination. I opened my locker, but instead of seeing my locker filled with only text books and folders, I saw an item that was never really there. I reached out to grab the mysterious item, and I immediately knew what it was. My missing cell phone! I looked in the direction Kurt and Tina had run off in. They couldn't have just told me they found my missing cell phone? Why did it have to be a big secret?

I eyed my cell phone further, excited to have it back, however I saw something peculiar on the back. I peeled off a small note that was attached to the back of my phone. It was folded up into the smallest little square, and it was a little hard to open. Once I managed to unravel the note, I looked at the unfamiliar hand writing that was scratched on the paper. I didn't recognize it at all. It wasn't Tina's rigid writing or Kurt's cursive writing. It wasn't even Quinn's loopy writing or Brittany's sloppy writing. I read the note and ran my finger over the letters that spelled out Meet me in the auditorium.

I folded the note again and put the tattered piece of paper back into my locker before closing it and heading to the auditorium. I made my way towards the auditorium slowly, not knowing what to expect.

Once I arrived at the large doors to the auditorium, I reached out to grab the door handle, and took a deep breath before opening the large and heavy metal door. I saw a single light turned on, lighting the stage just enough. As I continued to walk closer, I noticed someone sitting near the lamp that was lighting the large room. The person noticed me approaching them and they stood up, allowing the light to show who they were.

"Finn?" I asked softly, continuing to walk towards him. "What are you doing here?"

He stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking towards me until we were only a few feet apart. "Rachel, I'm so sorry," he said quietly, so quietly that I could barely hear. "I'm such an idiot."

"No, Finn, why are you an idiot?" I asked him, still wondering what exactly was going on.

"You know exactly what I am talking about, Rachel. I've spent the past few weeks being so stupid and love struck by Quinn and thinking she was the one for me, when really it was… you. How didn't I figure it out? All the signs were screaming at me in my face, NYU, your family, everything about you was a sign. I should have put it together."

"Finn," I said, "It's okay."

"No, it's not. Quinn's horrible. Why did I even believe her in the first place?"

"You trust people, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a good quality to have; you just get some Quinn-like people sometimes."

"I really am sorry, Rachel. I should have known," He sat down on the piano bench that was resting near the center of the stage.

"I'm sorry too. For being a coward and not telling you the truth. I should have revealed my identity that night at the dance, or at least the next day at school," I replied.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you let Quinn do what she did?"

"At first I was scared," I answered honestly. "You were the popular football player, and I know that popularity doesn't mean anything to you, but I was afraid you would reject me because I wasn't good enough for you."

Finn patted the other side of the piano bench and motioned for me to sit next to him. Once we were both comfortably seated on the bench, he turned to face me. "How could you think that I would reject you, Rachel? Truthfully, I'm the one who isn't good enough for you. You have your whole life planned out now, and here I am, ashamed to do what I want."

"I know that now, I was just being stupid. I was going to tell you, I really was, but Quinn read our emails and she knew everything. I was so terrified of her, that I was willing to sacrifice my happiness and yours to keep her away from me."

"That one day, when you came up to me in the hall and helped me pick up my flyers… you were trying to tell me, weren't you?" Finn asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, but Quinn came. You know the funny things is, the only reason I started singing again was because I was so heart-broken over you and Quinn, singing was the only was I could feel some kind of relief. So, in a way, it's because of Quinn I had enough courage to apply for NYU."

"Speaking of NYU," Finn said, suddenly sounding extremely excited. He started rummaging around in his book bag, "I couldn't wait to show you." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to me.

I took a look at the piece of paper in my hands, "Finn, is this your acceptance to NYU?" He nodded happily next to me. "Oh, Finn, I'm so proud of you!" I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

He chuckled as he hugged me back, "When you get your letter we can finally look forward to our summer in New York."

I froze in my position, and slowly pulled away from his grasp. "There's something you should probably know."

"What," he asked, concern written all over him.

"Quinn was pretty upset when you broke it off with her, and she decided she needed to get back at me somehow," I began. "She told Sue all about NYU, and Sue is forbidding me from going. I was so upset at them, I actually packed up my things and I moved in with Kurt and his dad. The only problem is that my acceptance letter will be delivered to Sue, and not me. Look like Quinn finally got what she wanted: to take away my dreams."

"But they can't do that!" Finn exclaimed.

"They can and they did," I replied. "I may not be living there anymore, but Sue is still the legal guardian of me, and what she says goes. Looks like no New York for Rachel."

"Don't you have options of some sort?" Finn asked.

"Like I said, Sue is my legal guardian. I don't have a choice."

"I'm sorry, Rachel, I'm so sorry. I know how much this means to you," Finn said sympathetically. "What if I skipped out on NYU? I could apply again next year and we could go together then or something."

"No, Finn, I can't let you do that. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm not taking it away from you," I insisted. "But thank you so much for offering."

"I would do it, you know," Finn said.

"I know," I replied. I gave him one more look in the eyes as I wondered how I was lucky enough to have such a sweet and considerate guy like me. He was incredible, and like Kurt said, I deserve happiness. Kurt. Our conversation from before was finally starting to make sense. "I just have one question for you," I said to Finn. "How did you find out it was me?"

"Oh," I said and rubbed the back of his neck. "Brittany kind of cornered me at work yesterday and helped me figure it out. Apparently she and Kurt planned on telling me the whole thing together, but Kurt had some coffee thing or something like that. But Brittany did tell me that it was you all along. You've got yourself some great friends."

"Yeah," I nodded, "they're pretty great."

I heard the bell ring, indicating that it was time to go to class. I started to gather my things to go to my class.

"Could I walk you to your class?" Finn asked, gathering his things as well.

I looked at him, feeling a little shocked because I had never been asked that question before. "Yeah, I'd like that." We walked out of the auditorium together and started off down that hall towards my classroom. A few steps after we left the auditorium, I felt his hand grab mine, and I couldn't help but smile up at him. It hit me that I now knew what Kurt was talking about last night. I was a jigsaw, much like Kurt, desperately searching for my missing piece. Now, here I am with my missing piece, and I've never been happier.

We eventually reached the classroom and we stopped outside the door. "Could I call you tonight?" Finn asked me.

I smiled up at him, "Yeah, of course." I took out my phone and pressed the "new contact" button. We exchanged our phone numbers quickly and I couldn't help but smile when I saw that his name had officially been added to my contact list.

"Ok, I'll see you later on," Finn said awkwardly.

I giggled at him, as I gently reached on my toes and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later." I smiled one last time before I slipped into the classroom and took my seat.

A conversation from the past popped into my head that I had with Finn once. He loves Cinderella. I dawned on me that he no longer thought he was in love with Quinn.

_He's in love with me._

I shifted around in my seat at the thought. I've never even been in a relationship before. I don't even know what love is.

_…But I can't wait to find out_

* * *

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**I hope to update again by Monday!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I didn't think I was going to get this finished today, but I did! Yay! :) **

**Anyway, enjoy chapter seventeen!**

* * *

We spent the entire school day together. Finn walked me to all of my classes, texted me during classes, and he even joined Kurt, Tina, and I for lunch. I was sure to tell him he didn't have to leave his friends for me, but he insisted because his friends weren't the best friends anyways. He got along well with Kurt and Tina. We spent the time talking and laughing, and I got to hold Finn's hand under the table. (I made sure it was under the table so that my overly nosey friends wouldn't make too big of a teal out of it.)

My day would have been perfect if it wasn't for the icy glares I was constantly receiving from Quinn. All throughout lunch she would look over at our table and narrow her eyes. Every now and then she would roll her eyes, scoff, and then turn around again.

What was her problem anyways? It wouldn't have lasted between her and Finn even if their relationship were genuine from the start. They were complete opposites, and not the opposites attract type of thing, they were too opposite. He was honest and down-to-earth while she was glamorous and high-maintenance. He hated popularity and she lived in it. He _cared_ about people and she was named the Ice Queen! Sure, their social statuses made them seem like they were perfect for each other, but underneath it all they were too different.

After lunch Finn and I said our goodbyes to Kurt and Tina and he walked me to my English classroom. I noticed everyone's eyes turning towards us and our clasped hands. I felt uncomfortable under their gazes and I knew Finn could sense my discomfort.

"Just ignore them, they don't mean anything," Finn whispered into my ear as we walked along. "They're just desperate for the latest gossip to talk about."

"No, they think we're a joke. The loser and the quarterback together? It's deemed socially unacceptable by the social ladder of high school," I told him.

"Since when do you care about the 'social latter of high school?'" Finn asked. "And all that matters is that we are together, and no one is going to change that."

We stopped outside of the classroom door and I looked around at all the other couples saying their goodbyes. They'd all stop in front of the door to share a kiss before going their separate ways. I looked back at Finn and allowed my eyes to travel south to his lips. Having our first kiss (my very first kiss) in the school hallway didn't seem very appropriate. I always pictured it being private and romantic. Not some rushed in school hallway goodbye. It had to be built up and done after something special. A first date, perhaps, or anything really. Just not outside of my English classroom. I moved my eyes up again before he caught me staring at his lips.

I made the first move, and wrapped my arms around his torso to hug him goodbye instead of sharing a kiss. He hugged me back and I was engulfed in his scent, not that I'm complaining. He pulled away first and smiled at me, and I loved all the affection I was getting today.

"I'll see you after class," he said. He squeezed my hand lightly before walking off down the hallway. I walked into my English classroom and took my seat. Everyone was still giving me weird looks, but I didn't care.

_Finn and I were together and that's all that matters._

"Hey, Hobbit," Quinn's voice came into the room and she took the seat next to mine.

"What do you want, Quinn?" I asked her. "You're not even in this class."

"I'm just stopping by to have a little chat," Quinn said. "I barely see you anymore since you moved out! I miss all of our sisterly love."

"Can you just cut to the chase, Quinn? I'm actually here to learn and right now you're just wasting my time," I crossed my arms.

"Really? Just here to learn?" Quinn scoffed. "It looks to me like you're just here to flaunt what is rightfully mine around and pretend like he's actually into you. How much did you pay him? 100 bucks? 1,000?"

"Quinn, do you know how pathetic it is that you are _still_ hung up on him? He dumped you, and it's over. He doesn't want to see you anymore."

"I may have lied to him, but it doesn't change the fact that there was something real between Finn and I, and I can't wait until the day he decides to come crawling back to me," Quinn replied, twirling her hair around her finger.

"Have fun waiting, Quinn, because that day isn't going to come. You can wait for him all you want, but you'll just end up being a lonely old woman with a hundred cats, not that you won't turn into that anyways."

"You are such a waste of space, Rachel Berry!" Quinn exclaimed.

"If I'm such a waste of space then how come you keep talking to me? Why do you care so much about a waste? It's because you're jealous. You can't stand the fact that I'm getting out of this place someday and you'll be here forever. I don't despise you Quinn, I pity you. Now, why don't you run along and go do nothing with your little cheerleading friends?"

Quinn narrowed her eyes; "I'll get you for this, Rachel Berry."

"Yeah? What are you going to do? Ruin my life? You've already done that! Face it Quinn, you can't tear me down no matter how hard you try."

Quinn looked a little taken aback, finally realizing the truth. She couldn't take anything else away, and with that in mind she fled the room.

The girl next to me poked me gingerly on the shoulder to get my attention. "I've never seen anyone stand up to Quinn Fabray, that was the best thing I have ever seen."

I smiled, "After dealing with her for so much you learn how to fend for yourself."

"Still, after hiding from her and her friends it's nice to see someone finally giving her a taste of her own medicine. It's time her reign of terror comes to an end," the girl said.

"I wouldn't say that me standing up to her is going to completely bring her reign of terror to an end," I replied.

"No, but it's a start," the girl said. "Haven't you seen any of the movies? In order to take down an evil figure you must get inside their head and let them know they can't achieve everything. It may take a while, but someday she'll be on the bottom, and we'll be the ones pushing her around."

"I can't wait for that day," I told her honestly.

* * *

Kurt and I drove home after school that afternoon and our conversation couldn't have been more predictable.

"So, you and Finn," Kurt began, not being able to resist a smile.

"Can we please not talk about this?" I asked, my cheeks reddening.

"Oh, come on Rachel, you can't expect to get a boyfriend and then not have me interrogate you. That isn't how this friendship works! Now, come on! Spill it!"

I rolled my eyes, "First of all, he is not my boyfriend and second of all you always got defensive when Tina and I interrogated you about Blaine!"

"You two aren't as nosy as I am, therefore I have the right to interrogate," Kurt declared. "Now, out with it. And he is so totally your boyfriend."

"We aren't official yet, Kurt. We've only been doing this 'thing' since 8:00 this morning! This is my first real relationship, I want to take it slow."

"Understandable," Kurt admitted. "But seriously Rachel, I'm dying here. Please just give me a little bit of information."

"Fine. What would you like you know?" I asked, knowing I'd regret asking him such a broad question.

"Hmm," Kurt thought for a moment. "I've got it." He sat up in his seat. "I'm sure you've seen the list the Cheerios came up with, the one ranking the football players by their kissability."

"Yeah, I've seen it," I answered. It was a disgusting list. It was degrading to the football players' self-esteem. And I was also very aware that Finn was on the top of the list. I know he's kissed Quinn, and I know he had a brief fling with Santana once, but how many cheerleaders has he kissed in the past?

"Well, he must be a pretty good kisser to make it on the top," Kurt replied, and I knew exactly where he was going with this. "Does he live up to the legend? Is it true?"

"Kurt," I started. "Finn and I haven't kissed yet."

"What?" Kurt exclaimed. "How haven't you two kissed yet? Didn't anything happen at the dance, or in the auditorium, or at some point during the day?"

"No! They furthest we got kissing wise was when he kissed me on the cheek after we left the auditorium, and if you must know the kiss on the cheek was absolutely amazing."

Kurt shook his head, "I can't believe you haven't kissed him yet. Blaine and I kissed on the first date!"

"Finn and I haven't been on a first date yet!" I pointed out. "And no, the dance does not count as a first date. We didn't even know each other."

"Okay, fine, I'll give you a little credit since you haven't been on a date yet. But you better make some lip action happen soon. You know me, I need drama to live."

"I know, Kurt, I know."

"So, what else happened? I saw you holding his hand in the halls, and I know you were holding his hand at lunch too. I'm not stupid, I have eyes."

"Kurt, all we did today was hold hands, talk, and we shared two hugs. One hug was before my English class and one at the end of the school day before I came to meet you by the car. Believe me when I say nothing really happened."

Kurt sighed, "When did I suddenly get the most interesting relationship?"

* * *

We arrived to Kurt's house a few minutes later and Burt swung the door open before we even reached the front porch.

"Hey Dad, what's going on?" Kurt asked as he stepped into the house with me right behind him.

"Rachel, when is your birthday?" Burt asked me, ignoring Kurt's question.

"August 29…" I replied. "Why?"

"Because I just got you a really late birthday present," Burt replied.

"Wait, you mean-" Kurt started.

Burt nodded excitedly.

"What is going on here?" I asked glancing between them.

"Well, that night when you first came to stay with us, Dad and I started talking about possibilities," Kurt said.

"We agreed that there are probably many kids that lose their real families and are forced into living relationships like yours," Burt continued on. "I made a few calls to figure out our options in this situation, one of those calls going out to Sue."

"What's going on?" I asked them, wishing they would just come out with it.

"Only if you are okay with the idea, how would you feel about a possible adoption?" Burt asked slowly and quietly.

"An adoption?" I asked him to find out if I heard him correctly.

"An adoption!" Kurt exclaimed. "You would be free of Sue and Quinn forever! And we would be actual siblings!"

"Are you sure about this," I asked Burt. "I can't ask you to do this for me. You've already been nice enough to offer me your home."

"Nonsense, Rachel. You're an amazing young woman and you don't deserve to live in that toxic environment anymore. I'm here to help you leave them behind for good," Burt assured me. "So, what do you say? Do you want to join the family?"

Kurt was standing behind his dad nodding profusely.

I looked between the two of them again before giving in and running up to them to hug them both. "Thank you so much for doing this! You have no idea how much it means to me."

"We'd do anything for you, Rachel. You've always been like the daughter I never had, and I'm so glad to have you as an addition to this family," Burt said.

I couldn't help but cry the happiest tears I've ever had. I've already had three other families before this one, and I knew that this one would be the best one yet.

I was free. Free of Sue and free of Quinn forever.

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	18. Chapter 18

**Here is chapter 18! I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

It took us forever to complete all the paperwork. It's been years since my last adoption; I can barely remember the process. I remember crying because I was too young to fully understand what was happening to me, but ending up being happy because of Darrell and his ability to comfort me.

Many social workers stopped by the house at random times to make sure Mr. Hummel ran a household fit for me. They never had a negative complaint and loved coming because they labeled us as the "easy case." Apparently they had one case with a lady trying to adopt who was on drugs, and somehow she kept getting into the system to adopt a new child. We were very pleased to hear we were the favorite of the group.

It was a new obstacle to try to get Sue to sign the paperwork. It wasn't that she wasn't glad to get rid of me (believe me, she was) but she was always claiming to be too busy to take 5 seconds to sign a few papers. I had trouble believing this considering Sue does absolutely nothing. I was also a bit shocked to hear that Sue really was glad to get rid of me. I would think she would want to keep her free and legal slave in her life for as long as possible, but instead she jumped on the opportunity to pass me on to another family. Regardless, I was as happy to leave, as she was to kick me out for good.

The last thing we were required to do before all the madness was officially over was to retrieve my belongings from Sue's place, that is if she didn't already burn them or something. Burt couldn't leave the shop that day, so Kurt and Finn volunteered to help me out. I was glad to have them with me for moral support. I wasn't sure if I could face both Quinn and Sue on my own, even if Brittany was there to defend me.

Finn drove us to the large house and backed the car into the driveway so it would be easy to load everything up. We all got out together and gazed at the house before going inside. Finn sensed my nervousness and grabbed my hand, and I smiled at the gesture. Truthfully, I was terrified. This might be the last time I would ever see Sue, and I would find it hard to believe that she wouldn't want to end the relationship with a bang.

"Are you ready?" Kurt asked me, not taking his eyes off the house.

"Let's just get this over with," I replied. I made the first step towards the house and motioned for the others to follow me up to the front porch. As I stepped onto the concrete porch I reached out to ring the doorbell. We could hear the melody play inside and the sound of footsteps echoing. It was weird ringing my own doorbell, which isn't necessarily my doorbell anymore. I felt sad having to leave the house Darrell and I lived in together. We had so many memories in this house, but I knew I was making the right decision.

Brittany answered the door a few seconds later and happy invited us inside. As we stepped into the house, I took a second to look around the foyer. It was exactly as I remembered it, but it was a little less inviting. The warm atmosphere I remembered had vanished and was replaced by a cold and uninviting one. Everything seemed to have a gray and dull color, but I knew it was just my mind playing with me.

"You can go and get your things whenever you want," Brittany told us. She offered me a warm smile that lifted my dreary spirit and I returned the smile.

"Where is everyone?" I asked her, taking in the quiet environment.

"Mom stepped out for the afternoon and Quinn is upstairs," Brittany replied.

Sue's not home? You'd think she'd want to give me at least some sort of farewell, no matter how rude it was.

"Thanks Brittany," I said. "We'll be upstairs getting my things."

"Okay," she responded, and walked us to the staircase. She stopped us before we started up the stairs; "It's nice seeing you around here again, Rachel. I miss you."

I dropped my hold on Finn's hand and wrapped my arms around Brittany, "I miss you too. Thank you for being such a good sister." We ended our embrace and I turned to go up the stairs. We reached the second floor of the house only to run into Quinn as she was exiting her bedroom. I inwardly groaned and hoped that this encounter would go smoothly and quickly.

Quinn's eyes immediately found Finn's and she turned on her fake Quinn mode. "Hey, Finn. I haven' seen you in a while." She walked towards Finn, completely ignoring Kurt and I. "Don't tell me you stopped by to see me!"

"No, Quinn, I didn't," Finn said, looking very annoyed. "I'm here to help Rachel finally get rid of you for good. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some work to do." I grabbed my hand again, and made sure Quinn saw the action before he brushed past Quinn and pulled me towards the attic.

"Is that girl seriously that desperate?" Kurt asked as we climbed the stairs to the attic.

"Yep," Finn and I said at the same time, we both have had or share in dealing with Quinn and her attitude.

"She just does not know when to give up, does she?" Kurt asked.

We entered my former bedroom to see most of my items already packed up into boxes. I saw a post-it note attached to one of the many boxes and I pulled it off of the box.

_Rachel, I thought this might help to make it a quick and easy move. Love, Brittany._

I smiled at the note, placing it back on the box and I began to stack the boxes on top of one another. I looked over to see Finn standing before the computer. He waved the mouse to wake the computer up from its deep sleep and I watched as the monitor came to life. The computer was on my email account still, opened to one of our messages. I watched as Finn read it over, a smile appearing on his face.

"It seems like that was so long ago," I commented, walking to stand beside him.

His gaze moved from the computer to me, "I know. If it wasn't for you I would have never had the confidence to really put my music career into action."

I wrapped my hand around his and started to lean up towards him, knowing this was the _perfect _time for our first kiss. Just as our lips were about to meet I heard a noise from behind me.

Kurt cleared his throat, "I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I am still in the room, and that I would prefer to _not _watch what was about to happen." He waited until Finn and I stepped away from each other to continue, "Thank you very much."

I glanced over at Finn and gave him a sorry smile before I returned to stacking the boxes alongside Kurt. The three of us carried enough boxes to be able to only make one trip from the bedroom to the car. When we got t the living room, Brittany offered to help carry some boxes outside. The four of us managed to stuff all the boxes into the trunk of the car with ease.

We then said our goodbyes to Brittany and climbed back into the car. We drove in silence for the majority of the ride, mostly because I wasn't in the mood for talking and Finn and Kurt didn't know each other that well.

It was strange to think everything was finalized. It was even stranger to think Burt Hummel was now my father, and Kurt was now my brother. It was official: I was a Hummel. The Hummel's were amazing, though. They were kind, understanding, and very welcoming. Within the time I'd lived with them, I already felt like part of the family.

I glanced at Finn (who was driving) and Kurt (who was sitting in the back, gazing out the window) and I wondered how I got so lucky. I had the best friend in the whole world who I knew would always have my back, and the best… whatever Finn is in the world who would always care for me and make me feel wanted. I allowed my hand to wander over the center console and I laced my fingers through Finn's. He looked over at me any offered me a warm smile before looking back at the road. My eyes watched the scenery pass by as we drove towards the Hummel house- _my house_ to start my new life.

* * *

Finn dropped Kurt and I off at the house and helped us carry the boxes to the front door. Once the three of us arrived in the house and set the boxes down, Finn and I looked at Kurt as if to say, "leave!"

It took Kurt a minute to get the message, but once he did he gave me a knowing look and slipped further into the house to give Finn and I some privacy.

"Thank you for helping out today," I started the conversation. "I couldn't have faced Quinn without you."

"It's no problem, Rachel. I'm happy to help you out whenever you need me," Finn replied. He looked down at the many boxes surrounding us, "Do you need some help carrying these to your room?"

"No, it's fine. I can get them. Besides, I want to go through them first because I'm sure there are some things I'll want to throw out anyways," I told him, "but thanks for offering."

"Like I said, I'm happy to help," Finn responded.

I gently touched his arm; "I guess I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Yeah," he replied. We looked into each other's eyes before he initiated the movement and began leaning towards me, intending to pick up where we left off earlier. Just as our lips were about to meet this time, Finn's cell phone beeped in his pocket, indicating a new text message. He groaned audibly and pulled his phone out to read the message. "It's my mom," he said. "I've got to get home." He leaned down to kiss my on the cheek. "I'll see you at school."

"Bye," I said to him, opening the front door for him. I watched as he got into his car and waved goodbye before I closed the door again. _I hate distractions._

I looked at the many boxes on the floor; it was going to take me forever to sort through them all.

* * *

As Kurt and I drove to school on Monday morning, he kept glancing over at me. I let it go on for a little while before I finally asked him what he was doing. He gave my one more long look before saying, "You don't look any different."

I gave him an incredulous look, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, isn't a person supposed to look different or at least happier once they've lost their lip virginity?" Kurt asked me.

"Lost their lip what?" I asked him, a bit frightened by this conversation.

"Lip virginity," Kurt repeated. He looked at me again, "Wait, you and Finn _did_ kiss the other day, right?"

I shook my head, "No, we didn't."

"What? Why? It was the perfect opportunity!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Well, the first time we tried _you_ ruined the moment, and the second time we tried his mom texted him and he had to leave before we got the chance," I informed him. "So, no, we haven't kissed yet."

"Well, you two need to start locking lips soon, because we need to have some serious guy talk, and we can't do that until we have notes to compare," Kurt said.

"Can we please not talk about this?" I requested. "All I'm going to tell you is it will happen when it happens. Until then, you have no say in what my mouth can or cannot do. Okay?"

"Fine, but just know I can be very impatient sometimes, and you better not take forever to get on with this relationship," Kurt replied.

"Okay, I'll try to keep my relationship under your specifications," I said sarcastically. It was my own fault for picking such a nosy best friend, but I loved him anyways.

"That's all I ask," Kurt responded, holding in a smile.

* * *

When we arrived at school the first person I saw was Brittany, who was charging down the hall towards me, waving her arms around like a crazy person.

Kurt saw her coming too and started back away. "I'm going to leave you alone to deal with whatever she wants. I'll just be looking for Tina. I'll see you at lunch." We that, he raced away, and left me alone with the overly excited Brittany.

"Rachel!" Brittany exclaimed, jumping the rest of the way towards me. She was sporting the brightest smile and carrying a rather large envelope, and I was extremely curious about the contents of the envelope, figuring that it was the source of Brittany's excitement.

"Hi, Brittany," I said calmly, hoping my much calmer attitude would calm her down as well. "What's in the envelope?"

"Rachel, you'll never guess what happened after you left my house over the weekend," Brittany panted out, still out of breath from her run down the hall.

"What happened?" I asked her, still eying the envelope.

"You know how my mom was gone and Quinn doesn't really care about anything except herself?" Brittany asked me.

"Yeah," I nodded, confused as to where she was going with this.

"Well, when the mailman came that day I was outside so I took the mail from him and brought it inside," Brittany said. "I was going through the stack of letters, hoping to find something for me in the pile, but instead I saw something addressed to you." Brittany pointed to the envelope. "I didn't look at it, but I have a pretty good idea of where it came from."

I snatched the envelope from Brittany's hands and tore it open, knowing exactly where the letter was from. Thank God Brittany was the one to get the mail! I pulled out a piece of paper. "Dear Rachel Berry," I read aloud so Brittany could hear too. "We received all of your application information and we are pleased to inform you that you have been excepted to the summer music camp at NYU!" I squealed at the end and skimmed through the rest of the letter. "Please go the website listed below for further information!"

"You got in!" Brittany exclaimed. "Congratulations, Rachel!"

"Thank you so, so, so much for getting this letter for me, Brittany," I said to her. "This is so incredibly amazing!"

"You deserve it, Rachel," Brittany said. I pulled her in for a hug, and thanked her one last time for everything she did for me.

"I need to go find Finn," I told Brittany. "He'll be so excited!"

"I think I just saw him by his locker," Brittany informed me. "He should still be around there."

"Thank, Brittany," I said before running off down the hallway towards Finn's locker. I turned each corner along the way at top speed, not even trying to slow down to avoid hitting people. When I got into the hallway that contained Finn's locker, I immediately spotted him throwing books into his locker. "FINN!" I screamed his name excitedly, and ran towards him with full force. He turned to look at me and smiled when he saw my enthusiasm. Once I reached him, all thoughts of our location and any other distractions left my head and I allowed myself to crash my lips onto his as I jumped up into his arms. He had to step back to keep his balance and as soon as he registered what was going on, he kissed me back. Once I felt him lower me back to the ground I broke the kiss and smiled widely.

"What's gotten into you, Rachel," he asked me, lacing our fingers together.

I used my free hand to shove the letter practically in his face, "I got in! Brittany got the letter! I got in!"

I stayed silent as he read the first sentence of the page. I watched as a smile formed on his face when he finished reading it. He kissed me again, and again, and again before looking the paper over again. "Congratulations, Rachel," he finally said. "This is so great! We can finally go to New York together."

"Finn, you said the other day that you couldn't have done anything of this without me, but I'm the one who should be thanking you. Meeting you gave me the inspiration to start singing again, and I can never thank you enough for that."

"Rachel, I know I've told you this before, indirectly, but I've definitely told you before-"

"I love you too," I cut him off, kissing him more passionately than ever before.

"Really?" Finn asked, breaking the kiss.

"Really," I confirmed, kissing him one last time, because I just couldn't get enough of the taste of his lips. I started pulling him down the hallway. "Come on, we have to tell Kurt and Tina. They're going to freak out!"

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked down the hallway. "I love you, Rachel."

"I know," I replied. "I love you too."

* * *

**The End :) **

**This was definitely my favorite story I've written yet! **

**I want to personally thank my consistent reviewers (and if I forget anyone I'm sorry): ****_FinchelFan728, KGBKBG, ellasecy, noro, DancingintheRayne, finchelromionelover, algold29, FinchelFan, FINCHEL4EverALWAYS._**** Thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well!**

**Your reviews inspire me! :)**

**Not for my next story, but I'm pretty sure I want to write a sequel to this one. One where Rachel adjusts to Kurt's family and her relationship with Finn grows. And I can't forget about their amazing summer together! Would anyone be interested in reading that? Tell me! :)**

**My next story, I might be posting it later today, but definitely sometime this week! It's called "Love Me for Me" and I'm super excited about it. **

**Allright, thanks again everyone who reviewed and read! I love you all!**


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